Fearlessly Spreading Truth Though It Plagues Men

TODAY Jehovah’s people are spreading the truth about God’s kingdom throughout the earth. This is good news and should be welcomed by all, but is it? No, it is not. Why not? Because with it is being preached the truth of God’s judgments soon to be executed upon the wicked. Such a message actually plagues men.

The fact is that God’s servants sent to make known his will have ever had this twofold work to do, even as illustrated by God’s commission to Jeremiah. He was told both to tear down and destroy and to plant and build. (Jer. 1:9, 10) Yes, and as recorded by Isaiah, God’s servants today have not only a message of comfort and freedom but also one of warning about “the day of vengeance on the part of our God.”—Isa. 61:1, 2.

Since wicked men are plagued by the truth, it takes courage, fearlessness, to spread it. This plaguing by means of the truth was foreshadowed by the plagues that came upon ancient Egypt in the days of Moses, and concerning which Jehovah years later said to the Israelites by means of his servant Joshua: “I sent Moses and Aaron, and I went plaguing Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out.”—Josh. 24:5.a

That those plagues are pictorial is to be seen from the fact that all the things written aforetime “were written for our instruction.” (Rom. 15:4) Besides, do we not read that Moses pictures Jesus Christ? (Acts 3:19-26) This being so, it is reasonable to conclude that Pharaoh pictures Satan the Devil, and his nation Egypt, Satan’s organization. And as the plagues back there served to make known Jehovah’s name and power, so today it is the plaguing messages, delivered by God’s servants, that tell about Jehovah’s name and power.—Ex. 9:15, 16.

Yes, back there Jehovah, by Moses, had requested that his people Israel be allowed to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to Jehovah, and Pharaoh had arrogantly and contemptuously sneered: “Who is Jehovah?” (Ex. 5:2) But by the time Pharaoh had experienced the plagues of the waters of the Nile being changed to blood, of swarms of frogs, gnats and gadflies, the plagues of pestilence upon the animals and boils upon man and beast, crops ruined by hail and locusts, a darkness so dense that no one stirred for three days and nights and then the death of Egypt’s firstborn, Pharaoh was willing to let the Hebrews go; in fact, he urged them to go. That those plagues served Jehovah’s purpose to make his name known is also seen by the fact that centuries later pagan priests called attention to them.—Ex. 7:1–12:51; 1 Sam. 6:6.

And let it be noted that those were bona fide miracles, not mere coincidences, or they would not have driven home to Pharaoh their lesson. Further proof of their genuineness is seen in the fact that time and again reference is made to them in the Hebrew Scriptures as well as in the Christian Greek Scriptures.—Psalms 78 and 105; Jer. 32:20; Acts 7:36.

These plagues, though not to be confused with those mentioned at Revelation chapter 16, nevertheless do have basic similarities in that they both represent judgment messages that God has his people deliver. These messages show how Satan’s organization appears in the eyes of God and they serve to plague those of Satan’s organization. By means of such publications as The Watchtower, Awake! and “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules!, modern “Egypt,” Satan’s visible organization and especially “Babylon the Great,” is shown to be covered with bloodguilt, to be grossly immoral, unclean spiritually as well, having nothing in common with God’s Word and people, a spiritually diseased organization, barren of all spiritual food, one in total darkness as to the light of God’s kingdom and any hope for mankind, and as not having any firstborn alive among them, those truly dedicated to Jehovah God.

It takes courage to speak out fearlessly regarding these matters. It takes unselfish love and strong faith to keep persevering in telling such truths, going over the territory time and again, even as Moses and Aaron fearlessly and repeatedly appeared before Pharaoh and his court, some dozen times in fact. But why should we not be fearless? Is not He that is for us greater than all that are against us? (Rom. 8:31) Furthermore, since our motives are pure, we can be as bold as the young lion, knowing that Jehovah will give us strength and protection.—Prov. 28:1.

[Footnotes]