This new light was in fact already the belief of Christians
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[...] because of the religious doctrine which still prevails, namely, that the political officials of Satan's visible organization are the "higher powers" to whom all Christian souls are to be subject, as commanded at Romans 13:1. By such perversion of Scripture the religious Hierarchy in control have been able to act as the "spiritual advisers" of the political powers and to use the arm of the state to take away and suppress freedom of speech, of press, of assembly, and of worship of God. Such religious misapplication of Scripture concerning the "higher powers" has long caused the ignorant bondage of professing Christians to worldly officials at the expense of the interests of God's work and of true freedom. After the Lord's coming to the temple and freeing the faithful remnant of spiritual Israelites from captivity to modern-day Babylon he began to open their eyes gradually to the truth. In 1929 the clear light broke forth. That year The Watchtower published the Scriptural exposition of Romans chapter 13. It showed that Jehovah God and Christ Jesus, rather than worldly rulers and governors, are "The Higher Powers" and that the Christian souls must "obey God rather than men";
Source : 🇺🇸 1943 - The Truth Shall Make You Free, page 311, page 312 + Cover |
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The clergy also quote the apostle's writing at Romans 13:1: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." This scripture, they explain, declares that Caesar and like political authorities are the "higher powers" ordained by God, and Christian souls must be subject to them, rendering full obedience to them. Under such ecclesiastical interpretation of the text it has been easy for so-called Christians to be drawn into political movements and be swung over to Nazi, Fascist, Communist state, brutally persecute the true worshipers of Jehovah and the faithful imitators of military aggression for dominating the world and subjecting all peoples to their social, political ideologies.
Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, November 15, 1950, page 439 + Cover |
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ARGUMENTS MET
Clergymen who insist that political powers of this world are the higher authorities to which we are to be subject bring forward certain scriptures to bolster their argument. They quote Daniel's words in interpreting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [...] Do not these scriptures prove that the political powers of this world of today draw their authority from Jehovah God and are ordained by him? The foregoing scriptures must be harmonized with Revelation, chapter 13, and other texts which show the political powers of this world are by and are under the "ruler of this world", "the god of this systern of things." "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." [...] The political powers of this world are, therefore, not the "superior authorities" to whom Christian souls are to be subject in every demand they make. Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, November 15, 1950, page 443, page 444 + Cover |
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‘Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s,’ the clergy chirp parrotlike, and ‘let everyone be subject to the higher powers’. (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1) But, lacking understanding, these modern-day Pharisees have misapplied the Scriptures. [...] No, Christ and the apostles declared that Jehovah God has nothing to do with thiswicked world, that the Devil is “the ruler of this world”, “the god of this system of things,” and “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one”. [...] Make no mistake about this, the true “higher powers” or “superior authorities” to whom Christians are commanded to subject themselves in worship are Jehovah God and Christ Jesus! Jehovah is the Source of all authority, and to his glorified Son, Christ Jesus, the reigning King of the new world, God has given a name and power and authority second only to himself.
Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, May 1, 1951, page 275 + Cover |
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Among the false stories that the false shepherds tell their flocks, the financiers, the politicians and the common people, are the following: that the political rulers are the “higher powers” of Romans 13:1-4;
Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, May 15, 1952 page 294 + Cover |
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However, coming from apostate religious systems these brought with them many beliefs and practices which were, in fact, just so much wood material, hay and stubble. Among such were the beliefs that it was necessary to develop a beautiful character to get to heaven and that that was a Christian’s chief duty; the notion that Christians must appear sanctimonious and pious, evincing more concern over what men thought than over what God thought; false teachings such as that the political powers of this wicked world were the “higher powers” of Romans 13:1 who must be obeyed even though they contradicted God’s expressed commandments;
Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, July 15, 1952, page 426 + Cover |
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Though Jehovah’s people from the 1870’s to 1918 had gradually changed over much of their basic religious thinking from the corrupt teachings of the Babylonish religion of apostate nominal churches, yet to a great degree they still were held in restraint by tainted bonds of false conceptions and practices inherited from the pagan traditions adopted by Christendom. For example, up to and including their 1918 troubles these witnesses of the Most High God still trusted excessively in so-called “character development,” indulged in considerable creature worship, accepted earthly political governments as the “superior authorities” ordained of God (Rom. 13:1, NW), and thus were held in fear of man, particularly civil rulers. Also they celebrated some pagan holidays, such as Christmas, they used the symbol of the cross as a sign of Christian devotion.
Source : 🇺🇸 The Watchtower, May 1, 1955 page 266 + Cover |