Perimeno
“You are My witnesses, says Jehovah, and I am God”
Does Jehovah have his witnesses today? Does a person become a witness of Jehovah simply by identifying himself with God's name?
”Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah at all and, what is more, I am not going to send Israel away.”
That was Pharaoh's mocking reply to Moses, when Jehovah sent him to appear before the king of Egypt and demand the release of God's people. And just as Jehovah had foretold, Pharaoh refused to listen, at the cost of suffering the devastating ten blows against Egypt, including losing his firstborn son, as did also all the Egyptians. Pharaoh learned the undeniable truth that Jehovah is the only true God―superior to all the gods of Egypt―and that God has a personal name. (Exodus 4:21-23; 5:1,2) Days earlier Jehovah had told Moses: "This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, 'Jehovah the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name to time indefinite." (Ex. 3:15) The offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came to know that not only is Jehovah the only true God, but also that he has a name by which he identifies himself. The nation of Israel came to be identified with the name Jehovah. (1 Sam. 5:6-8; 6:1-3)
God's name Jehovah is holy! Does that mean that it should not be pronounced? Jehovah himself invites us to call upon his name. We don't profane his holy name by using it, but rather by not obeying him while identifying ourselves with his name. (Lev. 22:31,32; Prov. 18:10; Zech. 13:9) Jehovah says: "Because on me he has set his affection, I shall also provide him with escape. I shall protect him because he has come to know my name. He will call upon me, and I shall answer him. I shall be with him in distress. I shall rescue him and glorify him. With length of days I shall satisfy him, And I shall cause him to see salvation by me." (Psalm 91:14-16)
To know God's name means that a person has come to know Jehovah personally, including his laws. He has a relationship with Him as a son would with his father, and therefore he listens to God. In turn, God listens to the prayers of that person and rescues him in a time of distress. (Ps.34:11; 66:16-20; 2 Cor. 6:17,18; Heb. 12:7-11) The offspring of Abraham came to be Jehovah's chosen witnesses. (Isa. 43:10-13) By the way God dealt with his people, both when being blessed and when they were disciplined, they could be witnesses to the fact that he alone is the true God. Yet with the passing of time, their leaders and the false prophets among them, came to reject the name Jehovah; perhaps because the name inspired fear in them, and so they stopped pronouncing it as if this would prevent them from profaning it. (Ex. 20:7; Jer. 23:26,27)
To be sure, being identified with God’s holy name Jehovah carries with it great responsibility, for if one were to bring reproach on his personal name, he would surely answer for it, as God said regarding the nation of Israel: “And I proceeded to scatter them among the nations, so that they were dispersed among the lands. According to their way and according to their dealings I judged them. So they came in to the nations where they came in, and people proceeded to profane my holy name in saying with reference to them, ‘These are the people of Jehovah, and from his land they have gone out.’ And I shall have compassion on my holy name, which the house of Israel have profaned among the nations where they have come in.” (Ezek. 36:19-21)
Does Jehovah have his witnesses today? Does a person become a witness of Jehovah simply by identifying himself with God’s name? What do you think: Does a person become a “Christian” because he calls himself such? (Acts 11:26) In answer Jesus said: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:21-23) Not everyone who calls Jesus his Lord is recognized by Jesus as a Christian. In the same way, not everyone who calls himself a witness of Jehovah is recognized by Jehovah as belonging to him. Certainly not the “man of lawlessness,” who is so prominently sitting within God’s holy temple and exercising authority in God’s name over his people. Paul says that his presence is “according to the operation of Satan.” (2 Thess. 2:9)
Are you a witness of Jehovah? Then you will know God by his holy name and call upon him; you will listen and obey him, even when it results in persecution and suffering. (John 16:1-4; 1 Peter 2:19,20) In turn, Jehovah will recognize you as belonging to him, “at the day when [he is] producing a special property.” (Mal. 3:17,18) Jehovah foretold that there will be a great crowd of people out of all nations and tribes and tongues, who will be called by his name, and they will have his protection through the coming great tribulation. Can you see yourself among them? (Acts 15:14-17; Rev. 7:9,10, 13-17) In the same way that you are able to call yourself a Christian―even though the vast majority who identify themselves by that name are such in name only―you are able to call yourself a witness of Jehovah, when you listen to Jehovah―for you are truly such. You don’t have to be ashamed of God’s name on account of the many who are identifying themselves with that name, while at the same time bringing reproach upon it. (2 Peter 2:1-3)
According to Jehovah God, when you identify yourself as one of his Witnesses, you are among the many faithful men and women of past generations who make up “so great a cloud of witnesses,” as the apostle Paul describes in Hebrews Chapter eleven. They all worshipped Jehovah as the only true God, including Paul and even Jesus himself. (Heb. 12:1-3; John 17:6-8; 18:37; Rev. 3:14)
You are not thereby identifying yourself as a witness of the Watchtower Society anymore than did God’s faithful servants of old identify with their false prophets. (Compare Ezekiel 13:2-10)