Kingdom Good News after the Watchtower

by Antwan Warren, Georgia

All my life, I was under the impression I was a part of God’s “one true organization.” Raised with this mentality by my loving mother, I never doubted or saw the need to question or test my faith. I desperately wanted to put the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Working for the Kingdom meant for me doing the works of the organization. I gave it my all and then some. I believed the teaching that Christ became invisibly present in 1914, and is ruling from heaven. I believed the two-hope teaching that some Christians go to heaven while the majority will be on earth. I believed Jesus was the arch-angel Michael. I believed their teaching that their governing body was truly God’s one mouthpiece. I fell for it all; hook, line and sinker. But by the grace of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of old, I am no longer held captive by these teachings. My Heavenly Father has graciously revealed Himself and His Son to me. I am truly humbled. So I must now proclaim this. It’s like a burning in my bones! There is a simple message of hope contained in the Holy Scriptures. The enemy Satan has desperately been trying to subvert it.

We must follow the true message and believe it in order to see its clarity. This is the framework to work from. Our foundation must be rooted in what the faithful patriarchs and prophets of old were looking forward to. I will start with Abraham. Notice what YHWH - Yehovah said to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3: “All families of the earth will be blessed.” Further in Genesis 13:13-18, and again in 17:3-9, God makes this promise of the land to Abraham and his offspring, and He sealed this by the circumcision covenant. The question is, Who is this offspring of Abraham?

Please read Galatians 3:16. The offspring is the Messiah Jesus! Now we can read verses 26-29 of Galatians chapter 3. All those in Messiah have a share in the inheritance given to Abraham. Paul said in Romans 4:13 that our forefather Abraham would be “heir of the world”! It was all about the land promise of Canaan throughout the Old Testament. The book of Joshua described our forefathers conquering this promised land and living in peace. God cannot lie. It was Israel who kept rejecting their God. But all the prophets spoke about the restoration of the land with a promised Messiah and King. (Please read Psalm 2:6-12; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:1; 16:5; Jeremiah 3:17; 23:5; 30:3; Micah 4:1-5; Obadiah 21.)

Again, it was all about the promised land with God’s Kingdom established in Jerusalem with an anointed king. An example of this in advance is Solomon sitting on God’s throne in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 29:23). So in the future age to come, Jerusalem is where God’s throne will be (Isaiah 24:23). All the Hebrew prophets and patriarchs of old were looking forward to inheriting the land - Israel/Kingdom, with a future Messiah being God’s appointed king. Everyone will be able to enjoy life and peace and happiness the way God had intended it from the beginning. All nations of the earth will learn from them.

Let’s take this promise a step further now to King David. David was a righteous man and he too was given a promise in 2 Samuel 7:12-14. An offspring would actually inherit the throne of David in the Kingdom of God. This is why Scripture always makes reference to the throne of David. We find the land and the Kingdom on that land, and in addition a promised king. This promised Messiah is Jesus of Nazareth; he is the true descendant of David! (Acts 2:30; Matthew 1:1; 12:23; Luke 1:32-35; John 7:42; Romans 1:1-4). We must think like these faithful Hebrews of old. They anticipated the coming Messiah, the son of David to restore Israel, establishing the Kingdom of God on earth! (Acts 1:6-7).

A recap of what I just wrote is found in a speech Stephen gave in the entire chapter of Acts 7. Also in verse 37 of the same chapter is a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 about the Messiah Jesus as the promised final prophet.

The Messiah’s Identity As mentioned, Jesus is the true descendant of David. Unfortunately, throughout history Geek pagan philosophical thinking has clouded our minds with a different Jesus. The Devil behind the scenes has veiled the true identity of Jesus! We must come to understand who the Hebrews understood the Messiah to be. They never thought he was God becoming a man and they never thought he was the transferred life of Michael the arch-angel. To see the identity of the Messiah we simply follow the promises of the coming son of David, who would be God’s Son (Luke 1:32-35; Matthew 1:20: “begotten in her”). This is the thread running all the way through Scripture (Revelation 5:5; 22:16). This ties in with all the promises! Our lord Messiah (Luke 2:11; Psalm 110:1), the holy exalted one of the most high God is none other than the man Jesus of Nazareth, the descendant of David from the tribe of Judah! The Bible is about God and mankind and how God is restoring things through this unique man who is now our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). The Messiah was not a literal pre-existent being in heaven. This is a falsehood that infiltrated the faith. Jesus was foreknown by promise to these faithful ones as God's plan of reconciling all things (1 Peter 1:20).

Jesus is the way (John 14:6). He is the second Adam (Romans 5:12-21). Immortality in the coming Kingdom of God is now possible in Messiah (2 Timothy 1:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:53-54). This is what God intended long ago in speaking to these faithful men of old. This life promised to us was manifested in the Messiah (1 John 1:1-4). The world/age to come in the Kingdom is about the rule of Messiah, the exalted, glorified, first immortal, spiritual man (Hebrews 2:5-10). Not a god-man or angel man, but a glorified, immortalized human man. The Messiah is the first of many brothers (Romans 8:29). The Apostle Peter speaks of Jesus being foreknown in God’s plan (1 Peter 1:20; Acts 2:23). Paul also warned the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:4 of a different Jesus and a different gospel. So, as Berean's we must earnestly investigate these things and always be willing to test. The foundation of truth must be strong. This foundation should be built on the apostles and prophets with Jesus being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

What Did Jesus Teach? Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God on earth, as later his apostles did (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43; 9:2, 11; Acts 8:12; 28:30; 19:8-9; Matthew 6:33). It was all about the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of heaven on earth. That teaching was built around ancient promises (Psalm 37:11; 115:16; Matthew 5:5). The earth is our home. There are heavenly rewards because the source is from our Heavenly Father, a divine source (James 1:17). Also, Jesus has not yet sat on the throne of his forefather David, but he will at his return to Jerusalem (Matthew 25:31; Luke 1:33). This will be a restored glorious heavenly Jerusalem. We are now awaiting this magnificent future return (certainly not 1914 or 1878).

How will we take part in this Kingdom? We must be born again (born from above) as said in John 3:3 and 1 Peter 1:23. This rebirth happens when we believe in the Kingdom message and in Jesus Messiah (Acts 8:12; Matthew 13:19). The free gift of life is for all people who believe in the message and in the name of Jesus Messiah (Galatians 6:15-16; Colossians 1:26-28). This message must now be proclaimed, for it is truly Good News! The faithful people of old are asleep in death awaiting the resurrection to receive the promises of eternal life, the life of the age to come in the Kingdom of God on earth (Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 26:19-20). The Gospel of the Kingdom is what we need! It will refresh us and change our lives for the better, giving us true freedom. If there are any Jehovah’s Witnesses or former Jehovah’s Witnesses reading this and looking for answers, prayerfully consider these things, for it is God who makes the seed grow. Grace and peace to you all in Messiah.