All Along the Watchtower
"All along the watchtower,
Princes kept the view,
While all the women came and went —
Barefoot servants too.
Outside in the cold distance,
A wildcat did growl.
Two riders were approaching, and
The wind began to howl." --Bob Dylan
Princes kept the view,
While all the women came and went —
Barefoot servants too.
Outside in the cold distance,
A wildcat did growl.
Two riders were approaching, and
The wind began to howl." --Bob Dylan
There are a great many religious leaders who have or do fancy themselves to be watchmen for the world. They see their mission as one of protecting Christian values against the wiles of the devil and the society which "he" has inspired. They stand along the wall and sound the alarm when they see threats approaching the city of the saints. Of course, they believe that they have been assigned this task by Almighty God. Moreover, most of these Divinely appointed sentinels believe that they will personally welcome the king back into the citadel when he returns.
Did they get all of this from a burning bush? Did God speak to them in a dream? Did a voice from heaven thunder these instructions? NO, they claim to get their commission from Scripture!
Chief among the passages which they love to quote are several from the thirty-third chapter of the book of Ezekiel. One of their favorites is "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself." (Ezekiel 33:7-9) Of course, they often fail to mention that they are referencing a record of the story of a long dead prophet's message to the people of ancient Israel. Likewise, they often fail to account for why their message is needed when almost everyone in the world today have access to the exact same Scriptures that they do!
Continuing with Ezekiel, the message which the prophet was instructed to deliver was that "The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins." (verse 12) Now that does seem like a worthwhile message, and one that could fairly be said to apply to all times - including our present day. Even so, the message has been delivered! There it is in Scripture. We just read it together. You can go get your Bible and read it for yourself in one of several English translations of the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic (or in one of the hundreds of other languages into which those same Scriptures have been translated).
And many of these self-appointed watchmen ignore the principal focus of Ezekiel's commission which is recounted in the very next chapter of the book! We read there: "Then this message came to me from the Lord: 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey." (Ezekiel 34:1-10) Hmmm, that sure sounds like the political and religious leaders are a big part of the problem! In fact, it sounds like the people should have been watching them (we are told that God was watching them)!
It might, therefore, behoove some of these shepherds/watchmen to reconsider their decision to apply Isaiah's commission to themselves: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1) Notice too, Isaiah's commission was specifically addressed to "my people" or "the house of Jacob" - not to the world at large or society in general. Perhaps, these shepherds would be better served by taking a second look at the commission which Jesus Christ gave to his church?
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) Maybe I missed it, do you see in this commission anything about serving as a watchman?
To be sure, Jesus Christ did instruct ALL of his followers to "keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected." (Matthew 24:42-44) Why must we (Christians) ALL be watching world events? So that false preachers and prophets won't deceive us! (Read the entire chapter)
As for Christians pointing out other folks' sins, I seem to recall that Christ had something to say about that as well. In the seventh chapter of Matthew, we read that Christ instructed his followers: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." (Matthew 7:1-6) Seems like pretty good advice to me, and consider the source!
Finally, just as Dylan implies in the song for which Jimi Hendrix is remembered, many of us (Christians) believe that someone is approaching the walls of the citadel and "the hour is getting late." Nevertheless, many of us believe that he's coming to overthrow what's behind those walls, not protect and perpetuate it! What do you think?
Did they get all of this from a burning bush? Did God speak to them in a dream? Did a voice from heaven thunder these instructions? NO, they claim to get their commission from Scripture!
Chief among the passages which they love to quote are several from the thirty-third chapter of the book of Ezekiel. One of their favorites is "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself." (Ezekiel 33:7-9) Of course, they often fail to mention that they are referencing a record of the story of a long dead prophet's message to the people of ancient Israel. Likewise, they often fail to account for why their message is needed when almost everyone in the world today have access to the exact same Scriptures that they do!
Continuing with Ezekiel, the message which the prophet was instructed to deliver was that "The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins." (verse 12) Now that does seem like a worthwhile message, and one that could fairly be said to apply to all times - including our present day. Even so, the message has been delivered! There it is in Scripture. We just read it together. You can go get your Bible and read it for yourself in one of several English translations of the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic (or in one of the hundreds of other languages into which those same Scriptures have been translated).
And many of these self-appointed watchmen ignore the principal focus of Ezekiel's commission which is recounted in the very next chapter of the book! We read there: "Then this message came to me from the Lord: 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey." (Ezekiel 34:1-10) Hmmm, that sure sounds like the political and religious leaders are a big part of the problem! In fact, it sounds like the people should have been watching them (we are told that God was watching them)!
It might, therefore, behoove some of these shepherds/watchmen to reconsider their decision to apply Isaiah's commission to themselves: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1) Notice too, Isaiah's commission was specifically addressed to "my people" or "the house of Jacob" - not to the world at large or society in general. Perhaps, these shepherds would be better served by taking a second look at the commission which Jesus Christ gave to his church?
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) Maybe I missed it, do you see in this commission anything about serving as a watchman?
To be sure, Jesus Christ did instruct ALL of his followers to "keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected." (Matthew 24:42-44) Why must we (Christians) ALL be watching world events? So that false preachers and prophets won't deceive us! (Read the entire chapter)
As for Christians pointing out other folks' sins, I seem to recall that Christ had something to say about that as well. In the seventh chapter of Matthew, we read that Christ instructed his followers: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." (Matthew 7:1-6) Seems like pretty good advice to me, and consider the source!
Finally, just as Dylan implies in the song for which Jimi Hendrix is remembered, many of us (Christians) believe that someone is approaching the walls of the citadel and "the hour is getting late." Nevertheless, many of us believe that he's coming to overthrow what's behind those walls, not protect and perpetuate it! What do you think?
Miller Jones
I saw a lot of subliminal parallels between the music of that day and Armstrongism. I realized that another line from Watchtower was appropriate to my life at that time. HWA had reduced my life to the point where it was literally a joke. There were also undeniable parallels between Dylan’s “Desolation Row” and the WCG, as HWA resembled the Phantom of the opera, and GTA Cassanova. The song even referenced the feast. And then, there was Grace Slick, opening “Somebody to Love” with the immortal line “When the truth is found to be lies....” Quicksilver’s “Pride of Man”, Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” Desmond Decker’s “The Israelite”, and Zager & Evans’ “Year 2525” all provided their own particular insights. It was as if a former WCG member were writing the songs of the day.
ReplyDeleteBob Dylan seemed to have pronounced insights, being Jewish. I’ve always had a special fondness for the works of Dylan, but even if I had not, I would admire him for one particular event. Two years ago, at encore time, some jokers at a Dylan concert yelled out “Freebird! Freebird”. Dylan and his band actually honored that request, and did a pretty good job of playing the song!
BB
Ezekiel sounds like today's liberal American communists.
ReplyDelete5.53 AM
ReplyDeleteSo true, they have a religious spirit. Which reminds me of my former minister who used to radiate so much physical energy from the pulpit, that he looked like he was about to start dancing. Perhaps do a Michael Jackson moon walk. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was for creating a fantasy world for the church crazies, whereby they are the master race. Sounds familiar, no? He's still a minister in some splinter.
BB, October 4, 2019 at 12:17 AM, wrote that he "...saw a lot of subliminal parallels between the music of that day and Armstrongism. I realized that another line from Watchtower was appropriate to my life at that time. HWA had reduced my life to the point where it was literally a joke...other undeniable parallels...all provided their own particular insights. It was as if a former WCG member were writing the songs of the day..."
ReplyDeleteBB, I could almost put an "Amen" to what Miller Jones wrote about Ezekiel and "someone" coming to "...to overthrow what's behind those walls..." and then I read your interesting post, which encouraged me to think about watching out for some "man" behind the walls, as in "that man behind the curtain;" however, "man" in the Bible does not always refer to a flesh and blood man, but is sometimes linked to a spirit being, as in the following:
Daniel 9:21 Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the MAN Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Revelation 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a MAN, that is, of the angel.
I also considered "man and/or angel" in the following context:
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against FLESH AND BLOOD, but against PRINCIPALITIES, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against SPIRITUAL wickedness in high [places].
I, too, experienced years in the WCG under HWA, but I was nowhere impacted the way you were, and I believe there is more involved with humanity than just mankind seemingly, stupidly, doing himself in.
What finally came to mind was the following song lyrics I've heard many times over the years as sung by Barry Manilow:
I've been alive forever
And I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music and I write the songs
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
My home lies deep within you
And I've got my own place in your soul
Now when I look out through your eyes
I'm young again, even though I'm very old
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
Oh, my music makes you dance
And gives your spirit to take a chance
And I wrote some rock 'n' roll so you can move
Music fills your heart, well, that's a real fine place to start
It's from me, it's for you
It's from you, it's from me
It's a worldwide symphony
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
I am music and I write the songs
Is more going on in each of our lies than "meets the eye/ear?"
Time will tell...
John
Forgot that one, John, and it’s a good one! There is someone writing the soundtrack to our lives, while men often attempt to insert themselves as the gatekeepers to it all. Wisdom comes with age, (time) and is the ability to discern between the two.
DeleteBB
Interesting post. Unfortunately I have heard very few among the ministry or those who consider themselves shepherds actually practice the art of self examination and acknowledge their own misdeeds or those of their peers in any sort of meaningful or effective manner. When it is done it is usually right before, during, or soon after a split when everyone is competing for a realignment of loyalties from the "sheep". All to often when this happens it begins to sound like mudslinging or a playground fight among those who are involved. In the long run, it seldom permanently solves anything, because as time moves forward, those who have separated come to sound just like the folks that they separated from. The only difference being who happens to be "in charge".
ReplyDeleteWe in the cogs are no less guilty than anyone else of only applying those scriptures that tend to support whatever our position happens to be and ignoring the ones that might call our position into question, or perhaps draw attention to our own hypocrisy. We all tend to like to focus on the faults of those whom we consider outsiders, while being blind to our own. Sooner or later we will all be held accountable though. God isn't blind, even if we might be.
The church likes to rail against all the sins of those they consider physical "Israel" and the punishment that will befall these rebels against Christ. But we seem to miss the point as demonstrated in this post that Ezekiel was speaking to the "shepherds", or those who consider themselves spiritually enlightened and having some sort of "authority" over His flock. How much more will those among what we consider "our own" be punished for their mistreatment of His flock and the hypocrisy of pointing out the sins of others while ignoring their own.
Concerned Sister
The later incarnation of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band has a deep album cut called "Unwrite That Song". It's about undoing a breakup, and a couple reconciling, but I've often wished we could unwrite the song of Armstrongism, and could go back to the ways our families were before hearing the fake Armstrongite apocalyptic gospel, and allowing in all of the manipulation and enslavement that HWA designed as its companion.
ReplyDeleteHad a nice phone conversation this evening with an old WCG buddy from the '60s. He hung in there until the '90s, and fortunately had enough time after leaving to rebuild his life and realize his life-long dream of being a published and acclaimed author. Point is, how many didn't? How many became cowed and beaten down through the institutionalized pastoral abuse inherent in Amstrongism? How many wasted and depressed lives are still being initiated through exposure to the alleged mystery of the ages, a dystopian mess masquerading as the secrets of the universe? When will it end???
BB
Byker, I couldn't agree more. While still a sabbath and feast keeper I've been out of the acog system of "submission" to men for nearly 30 years and I can verify the success that one can attain once out of said lies. Especially the lie of paying tithes and offerings to an unbiblical clergy class.
ReplyDeleteMyself being a Bricklayer/Carpenter with only a High School education, in what's most likely the poorest state in the U.S., West Virginia, at 55 years old I have attained a net worth of about $750,000 which is roughly ten times the national average. I'm not saying this to brag, but to let it be known that it can be done. I realize that there's more to success than money and I've attained those as well.
km
Also, when I quit the WCG in February of 1992 the local hireling prophesied that my marriage to my High School sweetheart would not last. Well, this week we'll be celebrating our 36th anniversary, we have two highly educated, successful children, one a Civil Engineer and the other a Virologist, both in their early 30's and both still sabbath and feast keepers.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin' ☺
km
I said roughly ten times the national average, I meant the national median. Sorry. Multi-millionaires and multi-billionaires really bump up the national average.
ReplyDeletekm
Well, Sabbath-keeping Jewish folk are certainly amongst the wealthiest and the over achievers in every profession. It wasn’t really so much the sabbath that made Armstrongism suck so badly, it was the weird conspiracy theories and the tyrannical authority structure. Observant Jews take special joy in shabbos. I particularly liked what John Goodman’s character did with it in “The Big Lebowski”.
DeleteBB