I shall cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will no more be remembered; and also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I shall cause to pass out of the land. And it must occur that in case a man should prophesy any more, his father and his mother, the ones who caused his birth, must also say to him, “You will not live, because falsehood is what you have spoken in the name of Jehovah.” And his father and his mother, the ones who caused his birth, must pierce him through because of his prophesying.’”

20. Of what was the foregoing a prophetic illustration, and what does it show must be the condition of our hearts?

²⁰ Here we have a prophetic illustration of the loyalty that would mark those within the organization of Jehovah’s anointed remnant upon whom he has poured out his spirit in these “last days.” That spirit is a spirit of loyalty to Jehovah God and the kingdom of his Messiah, the Christ, a spirit in favor and support of the universal sovereignty of the Most High God. Hence those of the anointed remnant recognize that their loyalty must go above and beyond human relationships by natural ties. It must transcend the natural affections that one has for one’s own parents or one’s own children or other close flesh-and-blood relatives. When it comes to loyalty to God and to the kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ, there can be no division of our hearts; there can be no compromise.

21, 22. (a) How can some children offend against dedicated parents in connection with Matthew 24:14? (b) What must be the action of such dedicated parents toward their child who is offending?

²¹ The prophecy of Jesus makes it certain that this is the time for the good news of God’s kingdom to be preached in all languages, in all places. This is the very heart of the prophesying that must be done now. What, then, if the son of a family that is within God’s visible organization should oppose this prophesying concerning the Kingdom? What if the son should begin to proclaim or prophesy something contrary to the Kingdom message and try to influence others in the organization wrongly, doing this in the name of Jehovah? What should the dedicated, baptized father and mother do? They dare not let their affections run wild; they dare not spare even this dear one whose natural birth they caused.

²² They must declare to him the mortal sinfulness of his false prophesying or opposition to Kingdom prophesying. They cannot endure to have even their own child speak falsehood in the name of Jehovah. They must pierce him through because of his false prophesying. They must consider him as spiritually dead to themselves, as one with whom to have no religious association and fellowship and whose prophesyings are to be rejected. They must not hinder his being disfellowshiped from the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses. It is a situation in which to remember the words of Jehovah’s King, Jesus Christ: “He that has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me.”—Matt. 10:37.

23, 24. (a) With whom else may such a test with respect to loyalty take place within the organization? (b) How does Zechariah 13:4-6 picture it?

²³ However, the case is not always one of having to deal with unfaithfulness or disloyalty to truth and organization right within our natural family circle. The false, disloyal prophesying may occur on the part of someone with whom we have come into intimate friendship within the organization of Jehovah’s restored remnant. Verses four through six of Zechariah, chapter thirteen, foretold what must be the outcome of such a situation within God’s loyal organization.

²⁴ We read: “And it must occur in that day that the prophets will become ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies; and they will not wear an official garment of hair for the purpose of deceiving. And he will certainly say, ‘I am no prophet. I am a man cultivating the soil [a·da·mahʹ], because an earthling man [a·damʹ] himself acquired me from my youth on.’ And one must say to him, ‘What are these wounds on your person between your hands?’ And he will have to say, ‘Those with which I was struck in the house of my intense lovers.’”

25, 26. (a) What is it that makes these would-be prophets get ashamed of their visions, and how can the penalty be enforced? (b) What must those who have been intense lovers of the offender do, and why?

²⁵ What makes such prophets among Jehovah’s restored remnant get ashamed of their visions? What keeps them from going around advertising themselves as certified prophets as if they were wearing an official garment of hair to make the deception easier? It is the treatment that these disloyal would-be prophets get even in the house of those who have intensely loved them as Christian associates, their natural parents being likely the most intense lovers. In ancient theocratic Israel such false prophets were to be tried before witnesses, exposed and stoned to death. (Deut. 13:1-11) Today the true Christian congregation may not enforce such a death penalty for prophets of deception who try to induce disloyalty to God and his kingdom. But the congregation can give them a spiritual smiting or striking with the truth of God’s Word, even wounding them sorely at heart and in spirit.

²⁶ The very ones who have intensely loved them must strike and wound them in order to demonstrate their own principled loyalty to God and to his organization and to safeguard his loyal visible organization. Let the false prophets be made ashamed! “Stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed,” says 2 Thessalonians 3:14. “Keep on exhorting . . . showing uncorruptness in your teaching, seriousness, wholesome speech which cannot be condemned; so that the man on the opposing side may get ashamed,” says Titus 2:6-8. What if this spiritual treatment does make a wound? “The wounds inflicted by a lover are faithful,” says Proverbs 27:6.

27. Why is it good for the offender to become ashamed of his visions, and in his shame what should he confess in honesty?

²⁷ Make it so that the one whom we are endeavoring to recover from false prophesying will have to testify to our faithfulness to God’s Word with which we struck and wounded him. It is good for that one to become ashamed of his visions that are out of harmony with God’s Word. Then he will not try to parade around among us any more as a special prophet of God with direct individual connections with God. Instead of laying claim to the high office of a special prophet of something new and different, he will have to admit that he was not prophesying under the influence of God’s outpoured spirit. He was not a spiritual man. In making such false prophecies he was merely a groundling, an earthly “natural man,” like a farmer, one who is a slave to a farmer that got possession of his service from his boyhood onward. He never was an accredited prophet. Make him see that he can get nowhere within Jehovah’s cleansed organization whose members love God more intensely than dear earthly friends.

28. (a) Of what is the true prophesying an outward evidence, and by what ones is it carried on? (b) How will the unifying of each one in the organization result?

²⁸ If we are against false prophets within the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses and must expose them, then certainly we must also expose Christendom’s false prophets who claim to speak in God’s name as though they were ordained and sent by him. It is this very keeping of false prophets out of the loyal organization of the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses that shows that it is His loyal organization with which He does the prophesying foretold.

29. What, then, should be our action toward Christendom’s prophets?

²⁹ The true prophesying is the outward evidence of the outpouring of Jehovah’s spirit. This prophesying, which is now engaged in not by a select few but by all members of whatever sort of flesh, is the foretold preaching of “this good news of the kingdom.” We are safe when within the organization that is loyal to Jehovah God, filled with his spirit and doing his ordained prophetic work. To Him each one of us should pray that he would unify our hearts to fear his name. The unifying of the heart of each individual to fear Jehovah’s name will make for the unifying of the entire loyal organization. All those in the organization will then speak with one mouth. (Rom. 15:6) Thus we shall be “standing firm in one spirit, with one soul fighting side by side for the faith of the good news, and in no respect being frightened by [our] opponents. . . . a proof . . . of salvation for [us]; and this indication is from God.”—Phil. 1:27, 28.

30. For being loyal to him, how will God act toward us with goodness?

³⁰ For being loyal to God, he will be loyal to us. He will fulfill our united prayer: “Work out with me a sign meaning goodness, that those hating me may see it and be ashamed.” (Ps. 86:17) To their shame, but as a sign of goodness to us, Jehovah God will use us in completing the foretold prophesying, the preaching of the good news of his kingdom, using us thus with his loyal organization, down till the very end comes and he is fully vindicated.—Matt. 24:14.

Work Whole-souled for New World Interests

“WHATEVER you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah.” Note the underlying principle of these words addressed to slaves. Although they were working for earthly masters, they should do their work as if they were working for Jehovah.—Col. 3:23.a

What does it mean to work whole-souled at something? It means to work with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. It means to be wholehearted, zealous and fully devoted to one’s work, doing it with all one’s power.

What are the New World interests at which we are to work hard? They include everything that one must do in order to gain life in the new world and to help others to do the same. Included, therefore, are individual Bible study, attendance at and participation in congregational meetings, the various features of the Christian field ministry, and caring for any assignment one may have as a servant or in some full-time capacity. Not to be overlooked are the New World interests of one’s own family.

Do you eagerly and enthusiastically care for the New World interests committed to you, or do you need to be reminded of your opportunities, your privileges, your obligations? Do you need to be coaxed, urged or humored to contribute your part toward making known the God, the King, the requirements and the blessings of the new world? Working whole-souled means to be looking for and making opportunities to serve and being willing, yes, anxious to do what we can.

True, some of us have more obstacles to contend with than do others, but should not these be viewed as merely an added challenge to be successfully met, thereby giving greater proof of love and appreciation? Surely! Look at the examples in the Scriptures of those who let nothing interfere with their whole-souled service to Jehovah God. Read chapters six and eleven of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians and see what obstacles he overcame! Let his example of faith and love inspire you to do likewise!

If any work deserves being done whole-souled it is the work of caring for the New World interests given us by Jehovah God.