Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 15 paras. 15-17 and Box 15A.
15. For what purpose did Jehovah punish Jerusalem? What hope did this offer his people?
And what did Jehovah do? He promised Jerusalem: "I will gather all the lovers you gave pleasure to." And he added: "I am going to hand you over to your lovers." The idolatrous allies she had had would end up destroying her, wiping out her beauty, and taking away her valuable things. "They will stone you and kill you with their swords," God affirmed. For what purpose did Jehovah punish Jerusalem? He did not want to exterminate his people. Rather, he said, "I will put an end to your prostitution." And he also assured: “I will quench my anger against you and my indignation will turn away from you; I will calm down and I will no longer feel provoked ”. As discussed in chapter 9 of this book, Jehovah's long-term purpose was to restore pure worship to his people after the exile. Because I would do? Because Jehovah said: "I myself will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth" (Ezek. 16: 37-42, 60). Unlike his people, Jehovah would prove himself totally loyal. --Read Revelation 15: 4.
16, 17. a) Why can't Oholá and Oholibá be prophetic models of Christianity? (See the box “Two Sisters Whores”). b) What practical lessons can we draw from Ezekiel chapters 16 and 23?
In Jehovah's long and powerful intervention recorded in Ezekiel chapter 16, he teaches us much about his righteous standards, his sense of justice, and his great mercy. And the same can be said of chapter 23. We true Christians take seriously God's clear messages about the spiritual prostitution of his people. We would never want to risk hurting Jehovah like Judah and Jerusalem did. Rather, we want to completely avoid idolatry in all its forms, which includes greed and materialism (Matt. 6:24; Col. 3: 5). Thanks to his mercy, Jehovah has restored pure worship in these last days and will not allow it to become defiled again. Never take that for granted. Jehovah has made a “permanent covenant” with spiritual Israel, a covenant that will never be broken through infidelity or prostitution (Ezek. 16:60). So let us cherish the privilege of being part of a clean people - Jehovah's people.
After analyzing what Jehovah said against the prostitutes described in Ezekiel, let's also see what this teaches us about “the great prostitute,” Babylon the Great.
INFORMATIVE BOX 15A: Two Prostitute Sisters
Two prostitute sisters: Oholá and Oholibá.
In chapter 23 of Ezekiel we find strong messages of condemnation against God's people for their unfaithfulness. This chapter bears many similarities to 16. In both chapters the idea of prostitution is used. Jerusalem is said to be the younger sister and Samaria the older. Both chapters show that the younger sister followed in the footsteps of the older one and became a prostitute; then she became more wicked and immoral than her sister. In chapter 23, Jehovah says the names of the two sisters: Oholah, who is the eldest and represents Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel (made up of ten tribes); and Oholiba, who is the smallest and represents Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of Judah (Ezek. 23: 1-4). *
The two chapters have other similarities. These are perhaps the most important. At first, women were Jehovah's wives, and then they betray him and become prostitutes. In both cases there is a message of hope. In chapter 23 the hope of forgiveness is not as clear as in chapter 16, but in both chapters Jehovah promises that he will put an end to the prostitution of his people (Ezek. 16:16, 20, 21, 37, 38, 41, 42; 23: 4, 11, 22, 23, 27, 37).
Do they represent Christianity?
Before, in our publications it was explained that the two sisters, Oholá and Oholibá, were prophetic models of Christianity, specifically of its two main divisions: the Catholic and the Protestant religion. However, after much prayer and further study, some important questions arose: Did Christendom ever become Jehovah's wife in any way? Did she ever make a covenant with him? Of course not! Christianity did not even exist when Jesus acted as the Mediator of the "new covenant" with spiritual Israel. Furthermore, it was never part of the spiritual nation of anointed Christians (Jer. 31:31; Luke 22:20). Christianity was born long after the death of the apostles.
Another fundamental difference is that Jehovah gave the unfaithful cities of Jerusalem and Samaria the hope of forgiving them (Ezek. 16:41, 42, 53-55). But does the Bible offer you Christianity-like hope? Of course not! The same future awaits her as the rest of Babylon the Great.
So Oholá and Oholibá are not prophetic models of Christianity. However, its existence reveals something much more important: Jehovah's feelings for those who discredit his holy name and lower his standards of pure worship. Christendom bears much of the blame, because all of its religions claim to represent the God of the Bible. What's more, they assert that Jehovah's own beloved son, Jesus Christ, is their leader. But they contradict themselves by representing Jesus as part of a trinity and by disobeying his clear command to keep separate "from the world" (John 15:19). By its idolatry and its constant contact with politics, Christendom has clearly shown itself to be part of "the great prostitute" (Rev. 17: 1). There is no doubt that the same end awaits him as the rest of the world empire of false religion.
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