KORAH'S REBELLION AND THE WATCHTOWER

[Witness]

Lies, deceit and excuses all in one Watchtower article?  Yes.  Satan’s fascinating deceptions can be discerned clearly, if we truly yearn to know truth. 

Korah, Moses and Aaron were all Levites; they were cousins, whose fathers were brothers.

The Levitical lineage were people designated to serve God in various roles, separated into three divisions according to the three sons of Levi:  Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Gen 46:11.   Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Korah were all grandchildren of Kohath. 

To the Kohathites”, stemming from Kohath, God said, “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.  They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.  They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.  Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.  Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”  Num 3:5-10

 The Lord also said to Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, ¹³ for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”  Num 3:12,13

The tribe of Levi was God’s ‘special possession’ (1 Pet 2:9); knowing this, why did Korah rebel against Aaron’s appointment as high priest and Moses as God’s spokesperson? Why would Korah desire a position other than what God had already given him?

The Watchtower 02/8/1 states under its subheading, “MUST YOU MEN ALSO TRY TO SECURE THE PRIESTHOOD?”:

“Whatever Korah’s reasoning might have been, it is clear that he began to view the priesthood from a HUMAN STANDPOINT. That led to his rebellion against Moses and Aaron and, ultimately, against Jehovah.”

He viewed their position as an entitlement with special privileges, power and dominance; yes, from a human standpoint, but Moses reminded him and all the 250 in his company:

 “Hear now, you sons of Levi:  Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”  Num 16:8-11

(Exod 28:3; Heb 5:1-4)

The title of the 02/8/1 Watchtower article is,

“LOYALLY SUBMIT TO GODLY AUTHORITY”,

and in this article we find Watchtower’s lies, deceit and REBELLION, upheld by the organization’s leaders.

Today’s High Priest of his appointed “royal priesthood” is Jesus Christ. 1 Pet 2:5,9,10; Heb 4:14,15  Could it be that the GB has deceitfully stepped in as “High Priest” over God’s anointed ones? 

“The anointed and their other sheep companions recognize that by following the lead of the Governing Body, they are in fact following their leader, Christ. Wt 9/15/2010”

The anointed servants of God are to listen and follow one Master, Jesus Christ; just as the early priesthood under Aaron, followed Aaron’s direction. There is no place, no member in the Body of Christ that is superior over another; except the Head, Jesus Christ. Col 1:18; Eph 5:23,26,27,30-32; 1 Pet 4:10; 1 Cor 12:24-26

Has the Governing Body compared themselves to Moses?  Indirectly, yes. 

“Of course, those taking the lead in the earthly part of God’s organization are not perfect—but neither was Moses.”  Watchtower 11/4/15 pp. 3-5

How self-assuming of an uninspired GB, to even hint at equality with a man who, as scripture says, spoke “face to face” with God.  Only Christ, who sits at his right hand, could be compared to Moses.  Num 12:6-8; Heb 3:1-6

In the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Korah’s company, “men of renown”, also included Dathan, Abiram, and On from the tribe of Reuben. Altogether, these men rallied against God’s appointed servants by making the claim,

“You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”  Num 16:3

This accusation clearly reveals the men’s hearts in ignoring God’s authority, and viewing the positions of Moses and Aaron as man-appointed, and not sanctioned by God.  I find it incredible that although Korah and those with him had literally seen God’s great power in action, they still questioned his guidance through those he personally appointed.  How quickly one’s mind can be clouded over with darkness, the result of self-absorption.

Jesus, our High Priest, resides over his priesthood in the anointed ones. They are the only ones who can fulfill their spiritual duties in God’s Temple/sanctuary. 1 Pet 2:5,9,10; 1 Cor 3:16,17; Eph 2:20-22; 2 Cor 6:16; Rev 1:6  The rituals of preparatory cleansing and sacrifices in Aaron’s time were based on the “heavenly things”; which is reaching its completeness during this time period of today.  Heb 8:5; Col 2:17; Mal 3:2,3 

Keeping in mind the accusation made by Korah and those with him, examine the Watchtower’s words that show vivid evidence of an elder body “securing the priesthood”:

“Representing the royal priesthood are appointed elders, who serve in positions of responsibility in congregations of Jehovah’s people around the earth. These men deserve our respect and wholehearted support, WHETHER THEY ARE OF THE ANOINTED OR NOT. Why? Because, through his holy spirit, Jehovah has appointed the older men to their positions. (Hebrews 13:7, 17) How can that be?”

Did God appoint a “Gentile” elder body to represent his own priesthood of spiritual “Israel” that reside among them, expecting their obedience also? (Rom 2:28,29; Rev 7:4)  It is not written anywhere in the Bible that substitutes for God’s priesthood could be made, but there are plenty of references where its enactment brought about the wrath of God.  Ezek 28:18; 44:6-9; 2 Chron 13:9; Num 3:10, 8:19

The Watchtower continues:

“These older men meet the requirements that are set out in God’s Word, which is a product of God’s spirit. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) Hence, their appointment CAN BE SAID to be by holy spirit. (Acts 20:28)

This is an opinion, just as Korah and his men expressed their opinion.

The Governing Body is using the claim that God’s spirit, which generated the scriptures, is enough evidence to appoint one to stand in as a “priest” in God’s Temple; thereby, it is ASSUMED, SUPPOSED, SEEMINGLY POSSIBLE, TAKEN FOR GRANTED…

In other words…

“CAN BE SAID”, that God chose them.

Men are determining whether men meet the requirements; God has nothing to do with it, since his priesthood was already appointed by him through the anointing they received; yet the organization’s leaders have gone out on a limb by surmising that “the Supreme Judge” (par. 19) appointed the elder body by using scriptures that rightly refer to the anointed ones.   

HAVE THEY LOYALLY SUBMITTED TO GODLY AUTHORITY? 

NO. THEY HAVE INSTALLED THEIR OWN OPPRESSIVE AND CONDEMNING AUTHORITARIAN STRUCTURE BASED ON A HUMAN STANDPOINT. 

How far these men have presumptuously gone, in unrighteous acts against Godly Authority, and who boldly compare themselves to both Moses and Aaron.  They say of the false priesthood/elder body,

“Rather than challenge their authority, we truly appreciate our hardworking elders!” 

JWs, Please! DO challenge their false assumptions and twisted reasoning! There is no scriptural basis for this manmade rule or “law”; instead, it is “lawlessness”. 2 Thess 2:3,4,9-12; Rev 13:5-7,18; 11:1,2  Jesus said we would see the “disgusting thing standing in the holy place”, which is the false priesthood “representing” God’s Temple priests; whose lead, the anointed must follow, according to the Watchtower.   As time exposes it for what it is, “sudden destruction” is not far behind. Luke 17:26-30; 1 Thess 5:3; 2 Thess 2:4,9-12

Thousands died during Korah’s rebellion, starting with Korah and the households of Dathan, and Abiram.  It then spread by plague killing 14,700 who complained against Moses.   It was a conspiracy never enacted – never put into practice, while today’s opposition against God’s chosen priesthood, is an abomination in the height of its activity – a dark plague of deceit already upon God’s anointed ones and companions.  Matt 24:24,25,48-51; Rev 8:10,11; 9:1-6

Having faith in Jesus’ prophetic words describing this situation, can urge us to FLEE such an abomination standing defiantly before God; one well cloaked under the guise of divine inspiration.  Matt 24:15,16; Rev 13:15

 

Pearl Doxsey – 4 womaninthewilderness:

"First, let's briefly unravel and define the "disgusting thing".
In history...
Deut.29:17,18; 1Kings11:4,5,6; Eze.8:10; Jer.44:4 
                       (In the original language, these verses contain "disgusting thing", 
                        although not in all versions of translation...sometimes rendered,
                        "other gods", "detestable images", "abominations".)
Ezekiel chapter 8 merits a closer scriptural look, so that we can get a fuller meaning...
Eze.8:5 shows that there is an "image of jealousy" North of the altar gate...blocking entrance to the altar of sacrifice (perfect symbolism).Eze.8:6,9 describes...not a tangible image, but rather, activities being done in God's Temple. So the Image and the activities are two separate abominations.
Now for verse 11...
"And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel,..Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up."
What is the problem here?
The answer is within the account at Numbers, chapter 16.
Do you remember what was going on there? It is worth reading the whole chapter to get the point of what Ezekiel was being shown.
To highlight the point, please read...
Num.16:3,4,5,6,7,10,11,18,20,21,35,40.

Can you see that those who perform the tasks which God designates for priests only, must not be performed by "the elders of Israel"? Even the king of Israel had to obey this law, which was punishable by death (1Sam.13:9,10,11,13,14; 2Chron.23:6,7; Num.18:7).
The abomination Ezekiel describes, is the elders of Israel performing priestly duties within the Temple (offering incense)...the same offense as the rebellion against Aaron, who was chosen by God as priest. To have counterfeit priests in God's Temple is a gross offense against Him. It is an abomination for unsanctified Gentiles to offer incense for the forgiveness of the people's sins (Num.16:47).
How is this occurring today?

The NWT of Gal.6:1 reads:
"Brethren, if a man commits a sin, you who have spiritual qualifications should try to readjust such a man in a spirit of mildness".
"have spiritual qualifications"...
How does the WT apply this phrase? Is it not to the non-anointed/non-priest Elders?
This is due to 1Tim.3:1-13. Should these two scriptures really be linked as referring to the same group?
Let's take a closer look at these modern day "incense" burners and this scriptural interpretation.
If you look at what Gal.6:1 actually reads (it helps to check the original Greek),

it says in essence... "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who walk/live by spirit/ who are spirit ones... should restore him gently."
This "walking/living by/being spirit", is not one of the "qualifications" for elders.
It is not in the list of qualifications for elders, at 1Tim.. chapter 3.
That is because Gal.6:1 is not referring to elders.
It is referring to those who "walk/live by/are, spirit". THESE are the ones given authority to do the "readjusting".
The Bible defines who it is, that "walks/lives by spirit"...
Gal.5:25,24 reads:
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Compare this to Gal. 3:29:
"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
See Romans8:14,16,17...
"because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

Clearly, it is the chosen priests who are to "re-adjust" sinners in a spirit of gentleness. This is their job as symbolic incense burners within God's Temple of anointed (1Cor.3:16).

So we see that the symbolic prophecies in Ezekiel regarding the "elders of Israel" burning incense within the temple, is certainly considered by God as an abomination, as well as the rebellion of the governing priests who dare to place them there (Eze.44:6,7,8,9; 2Chron.13:9).

This offense is alive and well today, as the GB of the WT has arranged for non-anointed elders to usurp God's chosen priests, perform their exclusive duties, and throw out any of them that protest this abominable disrespect toward God and His Holy Temple. (Heb.12:22,23,24,25,21,28,29)"

 

 

[Space Merchant]

Speaking about Korah, I will just leave this here since it is related to him (people who rebel):