Skip to main content

The Two Covenants of the Watch Tower

 

In the January 22 Watchtower Study Edition, the Society writes:

'Each year, anointed ones look forward to attending the Memorial as partakers. Why do they appropriately partake of the bread and the wine? To answer that, consider what happened on the final night of Jesus’ earthly life. After the Passover meal, Jesus instituted what has come to be known as the Lord’s Evening Meal. He passed the bread and the wine to his 11 faithful apostles and told them to eat and drink. Jesus spoke to them about two covenants, or agreements,—the new covenant and the Kingdom covenant. (Luke 22:19, 20, 28-30) These covenants opened up the way for those apostles and a limited number of others to become kings and priests in heaven. (Rev. 5:10; 14:1) Only the anointed remnant, who are in these two covenants, may partake of the bread and the wine at the Memorial.'

One is the New covenant, the other the Kingdom Covenant. Only the 144,000 can partake of the two covenants, just as only they may partake of the bread and wine.

They base this on Luke 22:28-30:

However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials; and 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."

Covenants

A covenant, simply put, can be understood as the terms on which God agrees to have a relationship with mankind. We will look at key covenants so we can reach an understanding of how they work.

From the Bible it is clear these are not covenants of equal partners, they rested on the initiative of God’s divine authority. There are seven covenants in the Bible, some say eight if you include a covenant of works with Adam. We will look at three key covenants.

God made with Abraham a covenant of promise. God called Abraham to be separate and trust God for countless offspring, to make him be a blessing to all the families of earth. (Gen.12:3) ‘to be God to you and to your descendants.’ (Gen.17:17)

In the Sinai covenant God, through Moses, called Abraham’s descendants Israel out of slavery in Egypt, where they had become the numerous offspring promised to Abraham, to live for him and be a light to the nations. (Ex.19:3-6; Is.49:6)

Finally, we have the covenant of grace. In Luke’s gospel we read:

Christ came, ‘to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve [God] without fear.’ (Lk.1:72-73)

A Kingdom Covenant?

The Luke text in the NWT reads:

However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials and 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.

                                        (Luke 22:28-30 in the NWT)

Yet Luke 22:29 does not say this in other Bibles:

and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom,’ ESV

And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me…’ NIV

And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed me…’ KJV

And just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you…’ NASB

Comparing Luke 22:19,20 with verses 28-30 in this same chapter, we can see that a different Greek word is used, both of which are translated as covenantby the NWT. In other Bibles the first word is “covenant” (v20) and the second word is assigned, or “grantedor “appointedv29 (see quotes above).

The Watchtower have deliberately altered the NWT text in Luke 22 to make it appear that there are two covenants. One is the covenant which Jesus said was symbolised by his blood and the other is the covenant for a kingdom”.

The Watchtower asserts that both of their covenants are only for 144000 Christians and therefore that 99% of Christians are not part of either the New Covenant, or the covenant for a kingdom in any real sense today. The JW organisation totally misunderstands the New Covenant. They assert that the New Covenant is merely for the ones who will go to heaven and is a promise of their heavenly reward and status.

As a Consequence

* Jesus is downgraded because he is not God in flesh (dwelling with his people), rather he is an angel carrying out a task for God.

* His death isn't the central part of the new covenant for them, rather, their own glorification is. The covenant for them is about their thrones in heaven and being elevated to the same position as Christ Jesus. This is demonstrated by the constant reference to the 144000 as “co-rulers with Christ as though they are on the same level! (See A Government to Bring Earth-wide Peace Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY)

* The covenant is said to be for 144000 only, therefore MOST Christians are denied it. As such, they are denied all of the blessings of the covenant relationship. This means that millions of people are being taught that:

  • they do not have a mediator

  • they are not born again

  • they are not spirit anointed

  • they will never see Jesus or the Father

  • they are not even God's child, therefore God isn't really their Father.

* If the reality of the new covenant were taught, they would know that the PROMISE of God is that they are forgiven because of Jesus. But this Satanic teaching of JWs makes them try to earn salvation and gives them a distorted view that association with the anointed is required to be in a right standing with God.

For a fuller treatment of this issue see the upcoming E-Newsletter. Not signed up? No problem, you can sign up on our website.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Obama's mother posthumously baptized into LDS Church - Salt Lake Tribune

In the wake of his remarkable success it seemed that the world and his wife wanted to claim President Obama as their own with even an Irish connection being dug up. Now the Mormons have got in on the act by posthumously baptising his mother. They have in the past upset the Jewish community, the Catholic Church and now the American President with this wacky and unbiblical practice but there is no indication that they will review it. And, of course, it is always someone else’s fault and they promise a thorough inquiry to uncover the real culprits. Maybe they should try looking in the mirror. President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who died in 1995, was baptized posthumously into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last year during her son's campaign, according to Salt Lake City-based researcher Helen Radkey. The ritual, known as “baptism for the dead,” was done June 4 in the Provo temple, and another LDS temple rite, known as the “endowment,” was...

Mormon Christians? Whats in a Name?

The Mormon Church, disturbed by the continuing identifying of polygamus sects in the news with the name Mormon, recently issued a press statement aimed at "clarifying" issues. It is interesting to note that if you substitute the name "Christian" where they use the name "Mormon" it makes a very good argument for us against the claims of the Mormon Church. The full press release is reproduced below in italics with each paragraph rewritten in ordinary text to present it from a Christian perspective. SALT LAKE CITY 10 July 2008 On 26 June, Newsroom published a package of information featuring profiles of ordinary Latter-day Saints in Texas. With no other intention but to define themselves, these members provided a tangible depiction of what their faith is all about. They serve as the best distinction between the lifestyles and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Texas-based polygamous group that has recently attracted media attent...

Is atheism an intolerant belief?

The Big Questions , Sunday 2 August 2009, third question. A growing number of Britons say they are certain there is no God - but how do they know? Professor John Adams of the North Yorkshire Humanist Association begins by asking theists what evidence they have for their beliefs. Paul Woolley of Theos continues by pointing out Richard Dawkins description of faith as a 'virus', and the appalling track record of atheism in the 20th Century, as spearheaded by Pol Pot and Stalin. Chloe Clifford-Frith of the Humanist and Secular Students Society contends that Stalin did not do the things he did because he was an atheist, but because he was evil. Paul Woolley rejoins that atheists are trying to have it both ways when they claim that religion is the cause of evil, but refuse to acknowledge the ideological impetus of atheism when it comes to many evil acts. Mao and Stalin both replaced God with the State - a 'religious' manoeuvre. Rev Alistair Rycroft of St Michael Le Belfrey Ch...