Sons of the Kingdom - Stand Up!

Multi-ethnic, mixed age group of people involved in Christian bible study meeting at local church.

The primary purpose for developing and publishing this website is to move the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses to abandon the two-hope theory of salvation and turn to a one-hope spirit dominated brotherhood. The two-hope theory proposes that only 144,000 people, since the death of Jesus Christ, are sons and daughters of God who have the hope of eternal life in heaven; whereas the remaining billions only have the hope of eternal life on earth.  This teaching has served to turn people away from their heavenly Father and to “shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men.” (Matthew 23:13)

It was not their intent, but it is the certain result. Even today, when we share the Biblical teaching that all Christians have the heavenly hope, we are met with tremendous resistance from the local brothers and sisters, some even brazenly announcing that they do not want to go to heaven.

We believe such brothers and sisters are sincere and being the best slaves of God they can be. So we continue our ministry to reach them, knowing that the moment our leadership publishes that they are not slaves, but sons of God with the heavenly hope, most of these sheeplike ones will turn their attention to the Father and pursue the heavenly hope. The article, “Proving Ourselves Worthy of the Christ,” discusses this strange phenomenon and offers encouragement for such sheeplike ones.

But many others among us are grabbing hold of the prize of the upward call. (Philippians 3:14) We hear from elders, ministerial servants, pioneers and publishers who are excited at the possibility that the Governing Body will make this change.  Many are asking us, “Is a change really possible?” “How do you know the Governing Body is even considering it?” “Is the Society taking any note?”

As of the date of publishing this article, we have not heard directly from the Society. However, we have heard from others who assure us that we have created quite a buzz in Bethel, and in congregations worldwide. We have been told that there is a ‘sonship uprising that is spreading like gangrene!’ That is exciting to us, in spite of the negative connotation.

We suspect that one reason why the Governing Body or the Writing Department has not responded is that perhaps they believe the “sonship uprising” is temporary and will soon dissipate.  Perhaps they are taking the counsel of Gamaliel:

“And so, under the present circumstances, I say to you, Do not meddle with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme or this work is from men, it will be overthrown; but if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise, you may perhaps be found fighters actually against God.”
– Acts 5:38-39

If they are taking this counsel, that is commendable. It is far better to be cautious than to run headlong into a battle with the Father. But the local brothers and sisters can help them along by showing unequivocally that the decision to accept our sonship with the Father cannot be overthrown. We realize that once we taste the heavenly gift, there is no turning back:

“For it is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened, and who have tasted the heavenly free gift, and who have become partakers of holy spirit, and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves and expose him to public shame.”
– Hebrew 6:4-6

We have no choice but to keep moving forward in our faith in absolute reliance on the Father that no matter what happens, whether our leadership aligns itself with the teachings of the Christ or not, the Father will sustain us and take us in.

We are certainly not advocating a disrespectful rebellion, a condemnatory standoff or a retaliatory boycott. We are only encouraging our brothers to live up to the faith that they really have and not become incapacitated by unreasoned fear.  If you know you are a son of the living God, publicly proclaim it.

You are the light of the world. A city cannot be hid when situated upon a mountain.  People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house.  Likewise let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.”
– Matthew 5:14-16

So many of our brothers who know they are sons of God, and have known it for some time, elect to profess their hope privately in private Memorial suppers with their immediate family and friends.  They want to avoid the unfair scrutiny and choose to commune with the Father in peace.  That is understandable.  But such private Memorial suppers do not help others to “give glory to our father in the heavens.”  In fact, such suppers allow for the perpetuation of the error. Only the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If the wheel is silent, the driver rides on. Therefore, we should not marvel at the Society’s reluctance to change its theory about the dwindling anointed.

But if the Society was faced with the reality of just how many of our brothers and sisters hear the spirit’s witness bearing, they would have no choice but to address it. On the night of the Memorial celebration, every child of the Father should make his or her hope publicly known. If we fail to do so, then we deserve exactly what we are getting.

However, we need not wait for next year to make our hope known. In fact, it would serve the brotherhood better if we made our hope known now. That way, the strong ones among us can be a beacon and support to those not so strong. And we can use the time leading up to the Memorial to educate and strengthen the entire congregation.

“So let us not give up in doing what is fine, for in due season we shall reap if we do not tire out. Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to [us] in the faith.”
– Galatians 6:9-10

For those among us who are seeking a serious and important ministry, this is it! It will be the greatest witness of our lives. When we examine the ministry of Jesus and the apostles, we see that the most difficult part of their ministry was the attempt to reveal truth to their own people.  In many ways, the anointed sons among Jehovah’s Witnesses are handling the same message of sonship and facing the same type of resistance.

We hear from many brothers, especially congregation servants, who fear that if they were to publicly profess their hope, or even share the scriptural reasons why they hold their hope, they would lose their congregation privileges. Some fear they would be disfellowshipped for “running ahead” of the Governing Body.  Of course, they would not be disciplined for professing sonship with God.  They would be disciplined for professing it without the prior public approval of the Governing Body and set forth in the Watchtower publications.  We think that is a bit too much authority to give to erring and imperfect men. (No disrespect intended.)

Using discipline to silence the Kingdom message is not new.  It is an old tactic used by those who do not accept their sonship with the Father or their brotherhood with the Christ. The warning Jesus gave to his first century followers can rightly be a warning to us: 

“I have spoken these things to you that you may not be stumbled. Men will expel you from the synagogue. In fact, the hour is coming when everyone that kills you will imagine he has rendered a sacred service to God.  But they will do these things because they have not come to know either the Father or me.  Nevertheless, I have spoken these things to you that, when the hour for them arrives, you may remember I told them to you.”
– John 16:1-4 

Notice Jesus gave the warning, not so that we can avoid it by remaining silent, but so that we will not be surprised.  It allows us the opportunity to count the cost of discipleship.  How many of us are willing to pay the price for the sake of the Christ?  Do we really have the faith? Indeed, “When the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)  The answers to these questions will be manifest between now and next year’s Memorial.

For those who choose to stand with the Christ, we must always keep in mind the requirement to be respectful in all things:

“Indeed, who is the man that will harm you if you become zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are happy.  However, the object of their fear do not you fear, neither become agitated.  But sanctify the Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in you, but doing so together with a mild temper and deep respect.”
–  1 Peter 3:13-15

There is no reason to be offensive or confrontational. We can share our hope with a deep, sincere and abiding love for our association. Remember, there is the possibility that our leadership will not resist the sons of the Kingdom. They, too, might take up their torture stake and follow the Christ with us. This is the outcome we are hoping and praying for. And we will be all the more satisfied if we accomplish this work through the power of brotherly love.

Think about how much good our organization can do by making the change in our message that ‘we are all sons of God through our faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Galatians 3:26) Imagine there are no divisions in our association and therefore no need for two messages or two preaching campaigns.  Imagine that as you sit in your Kingdom Halls every person to your right, to your left, in front of you and behind you, on the platform, and serving behind the counters is your full and true brother, and a brother of the Christ, all striving together toward the same destiny.  Imagine that our association took to heart Paul’s plain and clear counsel: 

“I, therefore, the prisoner in [the] Lord, entreat you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. One body there is, and one spirit, even as you were called in the one hope to which you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.”
– Ephesians 4:1-5

We may think we already possession unity; but the unity we now possess is a fallacy.  The two-hope message creates two different types of Christians, with two different relationships to God, two different relationships with Christ, two different relationships to the Kingdom, two different applications of Biblical instruction, and two different destinies.  Under the two-hope theory, unity can only exist if the minority of professed anointed ones is silenced.  But we will not be silenced.  We will not allow error to overtake truth. We will stand up in our hope and spread the Kingdom message to the most distant parts of the earth.

The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has an impressive apparatus for disseminating the true Kingdom message.  We have branches all over the world, and millions of volunteer preachers and teachers.  We already possess sufficient printing facilities and skilled operators and administrators.  No other organization on the planet is better poised to spread the true Kingdom message and bring in the harvest of Kingdom sons.  We have much to be proud of.

But if we do not use our resources to direct the world’s attention and goals and hopes toward the Father and His Christ, we are nothing more than ‘a sounding piece of brass and a clashing symbol.’ (1 Corinthians 13:1) And even worse, our inaccurate message will eventually be our undoing.

“But whoever stumbles one of these little ones who put faith in me, it is more beneficial for him to have hung around his neck a millstone such as is turned by an ass and to be sunk in the wide, open sea.”
– Matthew 18:6

So, brothers, if we are willing to take sides with the Father, we have nothing to fear. No one can rightly condemn those that God approves:

“What, then, shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who will be against us?  He who did not even spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all, why will he not also with him kindly give us all other things? Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones? God is the One who declares [them] righteous.  Who is he that will condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died, yes, rather the one who was raised up from the dead, who is on the right hand of God, who also pleads for us.”
– Romans 8:31-34

We will have the support of the Christ, the angels, and the Father: 

“I say, then, to you, Everyone that confesses union with me before men, the Son of man will also confess union with him before the angels of God.  But he that disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.”
– Luke 12:8-9

“For I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God’s power for salvation to everyone having faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek; for in it God’s righteousness is being revealed by reason of faith and toward faith, just as it is written: “But the righteous one–by means of faith he will live.”
– Romans 1:16-17

So what will you do?  Will you make known your true hope?  Or will you allow this opportunity for change to just pass us by?  Are you “ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in you?” (1 Peter 3:15) Are you ready to ‘take your part in suffering evil for the good news of the holy calling?’ (1 Timothy 1:8-9)

If the Governing Body knew the true number of the sons of the Kingdom within our association, they would have no choice but to address us. And they would have an opportunity to prove what sort of persons they are and display the type of humility a “faithful and discreet slave” would have. We have hope that they are faithful men who want to do what is right. Our united voice will give them the needed support to take a stand for the Father and His Christ and swing open the doors to the Kingdom among our association.

As of this date, many of our brothers from around the world are accepting their sonship and sharing this glorious good news with others.  So far, none of the reports we have received indicate that any such brother or sister has been reproved or disciplined in any way.  This is not a guarantee that it will not occur, but it is an indication that our leadership is being cautious, and that maybe, just maybe, they are realizing that the heavenly hope is indeed the true hope for all Christians.  (If there are any who face discipline for this good news of the sonship, please let us know.  Perhaps we can help.)

In addition to our own house, we receive reports that thousands of our fellows who do not associate with the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society are likewise taking their stand with the Father as His sons. A worldwide witness is taking place!  The fields are ripe!  Let us be a part of this tremendous harvest!

To all of our brothers, both within the Watchtower organization and outside, we implore you to stand up with your brothers worldwide.  Stand firm, stand tall, and indeed stand up and be counted!

“Stay awake, stand firm in the faith, carry on as men, grow mighty.  Let all your affairs take place with love.”
– 1 Corinthians 16:13-14


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