Compromise or
Stand Firm?

Standing Firm for our beliefs is the opposite of "Compromise".

With Pagan Holidays to amuse and distract us, will we STAND FIRM
and show our strength in the purity of Christ's original teachings, or will
we be weak - and compromise with the world?

What pagan holidays? Are Christmas and Easter pagan holidays?  

"It was in the fifth century that the Roman Catholic Church
commanded that the birth of Christ be observed forever on
December 25th, the day of the old Pagan Roman feast of the
birth of Sol, one of the names of their pagan sun-god!"
- Encyclopedia Americana, Vol.6, p.623

"THE BIRTHDAY OF Nimrod, the son of the Babylonian Queen,
was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it the name of
Christ. This tendency on the part of the apostate Church of Rome,
to compromise and meet paganism half-way was very early
developed."
-The Two Babylons; pg. 93
Alexander Hislop

The Early Christians were STRONG in their faith
and they REFUSED to Compromise.

"All men will hate you because of me, but he who
STANDS FIRM to the end will be saved. At that
time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with great power and glory."
(Mark 13:13,26) (New International Version)

Yes, True followers of Christ - always refuse to compromise.

²⁴ "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
(Matthew 6:24) (NIV)

The early Christians were hated by the world around them,
for their refusal to compromise with the Roman world.
They were considered unpatriotic and anti-social while
the Roman world was deep into the frivolity of Saturnalia
Winter Celebration on December 25^th. For this they were
despised.

"But what makes you Christian people so offensive
is your stubbornness. You are antisocial snobs.
You will not show proper respect for our festivals."
--- Glimpses Issue #139 :
Why Early Christians Were So Despised;
Ken Curtis PH.D., Beth Jacobson,
Diana Severance Ph.D.,
Ann T. Snyder and Dan Graves. ©2003
by Christian History Institute.
"The Octavius of Minicius Felix"
2nd century A.D.

From: http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/glmpstt.shtml

"We Christians neither cover our doorposts with wreaths,
nor... decorate our house like some new brothel. We...
do NOT celebrate along with you the holidays...
The pagan Romans clad their doorposts with green
and branching laurels... In the Saturnalia... Presents
come and go... There are... gifts... and Banquets...
yet Christians should have no acquaintance with
the festivals of the pagans."
- Tertullian, (A.D. 155-220),
quoted by David Bercot,
A Dictionary of Early
Christian Beliefs, 1998, p. 342).

What about birthday celebration?

"the earliest Christians simply were NOT interested
in celebrating the Nativity. They 'viewed birthday
celebrations as heathen'. The third-century church
father - Origen had declared it a sin to even think
of keeping Christ's birthday 'as though he were a
king pharoah'."
- December 23,1996 issue of
US News & World Report

"Christians of the first century did not celebrate the festival
honoring the birth of Jesus - for the same reason they honored
no other birthday anniversary. It was the feeling at that
time by all Christians that the celebration of all birthdays (even
the Lord's) was a custom of the pagans."
- Dr. John C. McCollister's
The Christian Book of Why

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?
Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to
please men, I would NOT be a servant of Christ."
(Galatians 1:10) (NIV)

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with
the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be
a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."
(James 4:4) (NIV)

The Power of Prayer

Most of the people in this world follow a religion
and in many religions is a provision for communicating
with a deity. Christendom, especially Catholicism,
promotes the idea that mindless repetition of the
Lord’s Prayer is the accepted way to pray to their
nameless lord and that is exactly what they do. A lot!
This is not really what Jehovah, the true God, wants
from us. To worship Jehovah properly we need to
pray to our Heavenly Father, but not repetitiously.
After all, how would we like it if people came up to
us and muttered the same phrases to us over and over?

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
(Matthew 6:7) (King James Version)

People around the world love to pray repetitiously to their false
gods, so we should want to avoid being like them. When Christ
gave us the "Lord’s prayer", he made it plain that it was a guide
to go by:

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."
(Matthew 6:8) (King James Version)

What else do we need to know?

A lot more than the bumbling preachers of Christendom teach!
Prayer should only be directed to Jehovah – as He requires –
not His Son or anybody else!

¹ And God spake all these words, saying, ² I am Jehovah thy God,
who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
³ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
(Exodus 20:1-3) (ASV)

Proper prayer to Jehovah is a serious business. If we want Jehovah
to listen to our prayers, we must do it the way He requires. Jehovah
has strict requirements but He doesn’t really ask for much!

Most people know to pray to Jehovah in His Son’s name.
This is why:

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
(John 14:6) (NIV)

But more importantly,

"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."
(John 14:14) (New Living Translation) 

Most Christians are more than happy to pray to God in Jesus’ name.
About two billion Christians around the world pray to God in Jesus’
name every day. Their first mistake is praying to God without specifying
which God. Consequently, Jehovah may disregard their prayers.

What is the second mistake?

Oddly enough, it is praying in Jesus’ name!

And why is that?

Jehovah’s Son is not named Jesus! According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/

JESUS

The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous,
which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua,
or Joshua, or again Jehoshua, meaning "Jehovah is salvation."

From: http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/j/jesus_christ,origin_of_name_of.html

This is a widespread and popular belief. Many people are
already aware that the Son of God’s name in Hebrew is
Yeshua or Jeshua. That is True enough.

What else is true?

"Joshuah" or "Jehoshuah" translates
as "The Salvation of Jehovah".

"(Joshua) Yahshua/Yahushua/Yahoshua, is the
correct Name for the Savior. In all spellings and
pronunciation, the Name is rendered to mean
"salvation of YAH" or "YAH'S salvation/ (His)
Savior." The Name (Joshua) in its fullest translation
means, "He (YAH) shall save His people. (Yah or
Jah - is an abbreviation for Jehovah) (Just as Yeshua
(Joshua) is an abbreviation for Yehoshuah or Jehoshuah) -
(meaning - The Salvation of Jehovah - or Jehovah's Savior)."
-COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE,
by C. J. Koster

We can see that Jehoshuah means "Jehovah's Savior"

"The name "Jehoshua" means the same as Joshua."
-Hitchcocks’s Dictionary of Bible Names

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed,
cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna
in the highest.
(Matthew 21:9) (NIV)

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered..."
(Joel 2:32) (ASV)

So what is wrong with calling our Savior "Jesus"?

"It is known that the Greek name endings with sus,
seus, and sous were attached by the Greeks to names
and geographical areas as means to give honour to
their supreme deity, Zeus."
-Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend
Professor J. C. J. Metford

"Some authorities, who have spent their entire
lives studying the origins of names believe
that "Jesus" actually means - "Hail Zeus!"
For Iesous in Greek IS "Hail Zeus."
"Ie" translates as "Hail" and "sous"
or "sus" translates as Zeus. The English
name "Jesus", therefore, stems etymologically
from "Jupiter-Zeus" the chief god of the
ancient Greek Olympus."
-"Yeshua" or "Jesus" -- Which?
Biblical Research Institute; 1996
by Les Aron Gosling

From: http://www.meguiar.addr.com/End_Times_Table_of_Contents.htm

How did "Joshua" mutate into "Jesus"?

Among the people of the East, a sun-god savior was
worshipped by the name of Krisna, and so among the
Greeks of the new religion the Savior was known as
Kristos, or Christos. Thus the Sanskrit name was of
the Indian messiah became the name of the messiah
of the new religion, and it was known as the new Christian
( Krisna ) faith.

He came in His Father's Name and by that we must
adore Him. Away with the pagan name Christ, heathen
name Jesus, and exalt the Savior, Jahshuwah, the Son
of Jahwah, by His own name."
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY: by A.B. Traina

From: http://www.meguiar.addr.com/origin_of_christianity.htm

Other Scholars agree.

From: http://yahushua.net/nicolaitan.htm

"Jesus. That was a name given to him
by the early church many years after
His death. They wanted to remove any
Jewishness from the new church.
They eliminated His Jewish name and
blended the name of Zeus into the
Christian church to make it comfortable
for all those who previously worshipped
the Greek and Roman gods. It made it
easier for the pagans to become Christians.
Since Zeus was the top god of their experience,
attaching the name Ioesus to Yahshua gave
Him top priority in the worship hierarchy."
-Winds of Praise Broadcasting
Believer or Follower?
The Sound of the Shofar
By Jon Thompson

So we can plainly see that the name, "Jesus" is the opposite
of the name, "Joshua". Now that we understand that, we
now know better than to pray to a nameless lord in Jesus’
name. Now that "The End" of this world is so near, people
have an extra incentive to pray to Jehovah is His Son’s actual
name as Bible prophecy requires.

"Hail Zeus" or "Salvation of Jehovah"?

...this is what was said through the prophet Joel,
"And in the last days," God says... everyone who
calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved."
(Acts 2:16,17,21) (NWT) www.watchtower.org

"For the Scripture says... 'everyone who calls on the name
of Jehovah will be saved.'"
(Romans 10:11,13) (NWT) www.watchtower.org

Lastly, we have a quaint way of ending our prayers
that has got to stop. Now is a good time!

According to the online Encyclopedia Wikipedia:

"Amun (also spelled Amon, Amoun, Amen, and
rarely Imen, Greek Ἄμμων Ammon, and Ἅμμων
Hammon, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu) was
the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who
gradually rose to become one of the most important
deities in Ancient Egypt, before fading into obscurity."

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun

We can be sure that Jehovah does not want to hear that!
We can be equally sure that Jehovah does not want to
hear "Hail Zeus" either. Our Saviour already knew
well in advance and warned us all that many devout
followers would make grave mistakes based upon
their faulty knowledge.

22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord!
We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your
name and performed many miracles in your name.’
23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from
me, you who break God’s laws.’
(Matthew 7:22-23) (NLT)

Now is the time to discard utterly worthless beliefs and
put true and accurate beliefs to work for us. Successful
communication with the true God, our Father, Jehovah,
depends on it!

4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book,
until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall increase."
(Daniel 12:4) (ESV)

That time is right now!

Christ Is Ready

God's Son is ready and his
Father said, "It's time!"

Time for what?

"I have come to bring fire on the earth,
and how I wish it were already kindled!"
(Luke 12:49) (NIV)

But most people think Jesus loves everybody!

²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained
down from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ It will
be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
(Luke 17:29-30) (NIV)

JEHOVAH GOD SENT HIS SON BACK
TO US WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT

"At the time that God has already decided,
he will send Jesus Christ back again."
(1Timothy 6:15) (Contemporary English Version)

"FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO
IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY."
(Hebrews 10:37) (New American Standard Bible)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every
spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁹ And he made known to us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he
purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times
will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in
heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3,9,10) (New International Version)

BUT SCOFFERS THINK THAT HE ISN'T HERE YET

"...in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at
the truth and do every evil thing they desire. This will be
their argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did he?  
Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can
remember, everything has remained exactly the same 
since the world was first created."
(2Peter 3:3,4) (New Living Translation)

¹⁸ They said to you, "In the last times there will be
scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."
(Jude 1:18) (NIV)

Now is a good time to read the news and reconsider.

Why?

Because that day is here!

How do we know?

Is Satan Real?

A lot of people do not believe that Satan really exists.

Who says that Satan does exist?

Christ talked about Satan as if he were real:

²  For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became
very hungry. ³ Then the Devil came and said to him, "If you
are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread."
⁴ But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, People need more
than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.' "
⁵ Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of
the Temple, ⁶ and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For
the Scriptures say, `He orders his angels to protect you. And they
will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot
on a stone.' " <sup>7</sup> Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, `Do not
test the Lord your God.' " ⁸ Next the Devil took him to the peak of
a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world
and all their glory. ⁹ "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will
only kneel down and worship me." ¹⁰ "Get out of here, Satan,"
Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, `You must worship the
Lord your God; serve only him.' " ¹¹ Then the Devil went away,
and angels came and cared for Jesus.
(Matthew 4:2-11) (New Living Translation)

Where did Satan get his start?

² The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from
the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, 'You must not
eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden,
and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

⁴ "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the
woman. ⁵ "For God knows that when you eat of it your
eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil."
(Genesis 3:2-4) (New International Version)

Notice that ever since Satan took the form of a serpent
in the Garden of Eden he has been called a serpent or
even a dragon ever since:

⁷ And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his
angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough,
and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon
was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil,
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
(Revelation 12:7-9) (NIV)

From the book of Job, we can learn a little more about Satan:

⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before
the LORD, and Satan the Accuser came with them. ⁷ "Where
have you come from?" the LORD asked Satan.    And Satan
answered the LORD, "I have been going back and forth
across the earth, watching everything that's going on."
⁸ Then the LORD asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant
Job? He is the finest man in all the earth--a man of complete
integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil."
⁹ Satan replied to the LORD, "Yes, Job fears God, but not
without good reason! ¹⁰ You have always protected him and
his home and his property from harm. You have made him
prosperous in everything he does. Look how rich he is!
¹¹ But take away everything he has, and he will surely
curse you to your face!"

(Job 1:6-11) (New Living Translation)

Satan pointed out that he thinks the only reason Job was faithful to
Jehovah is because Jehovah made him prosperous and protects
him and his family from harm. Satan excels at making accusations.
He also excels at misleading us. He never gives up.

Is it true Satan can put thoughts in people’s head?

“²¹  From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the
hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law,
and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to
life. ²²  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never,
Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" ²³ Jesus
turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of
God, but the things of men."
(Matthew 16:21-23) (NIV)

Sometimes, all he has to do is just put an idea in our heads
and sit back and watch to see what we do. It is amazing
sometimes what stupid things people can think up to do.

Or is it possible that some of the stupid ideas we
think up are not our own ideas but Satan’s?

It would be wise to remember: regardless of where the ideas
come from, Jehovah is watching us to see what we do with them.

What other things do Satan and the demons do?
Can they really possess people?

Christ and his apostles cast out demons often enough:

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed
and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon
was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd
was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."

(Matthew 9:32-33) (NIV) 

“¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and
knelt before him. ¹⁵ "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He
has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or
into the water. ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of
the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
(Matthew 17:14-15,18) (NIV)

“²⁸ When he arrived at the other side in the region of the
Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the
tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could
pass that way. ²⁹ "What do you want with us, Son of God?"
they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before
the appointed time?" ³⁰ Some distance from them a large
herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, "If
you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." ³² He said
to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and died in the water.”

(Matthew 8:28-32) (NIV)

So we can see that Satan and the demons have been
possessing people for thousands of years now.

What other kind of deception are they capable of?
Are there demons of divination?

Paul and Silas met a girl possessed by one once:

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we
were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she
predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money
for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ This girl followed
Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants
of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be
saved." ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul
became so troubled that he turned around and said to
the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you
to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.  
(Acts 16:16-18) (NIV)

Do demons of divination still exist today?

Many books have been written about Nostradamus:

"Born in the early 16th century, Nostradamus has
become one of the world's most widely known
and read prophets."

http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Nostradamus/

Many books have been written about Edgar Cayce:

"For forty-three years of his adult life, Edgar Cayce
demonstrated the uncanny ability to put himself into
some kind of self-induced sleep state by lying down
on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands
over his stomach. This state of relaxation and meditation
enabled him to place his mind in contact with all time
and space."
http://www.edgarcayce.org/

Or "helpful" demons...

Esther Hicks

(Abraham-Hicks)

"Abraham, a group of obviously evolved teachers, speak
their broader Non-physical perspective through the physical
apparatus of Esther."

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/

Demonic Teachers

The truth is that these people voluntarily became possessed by
demons of divination. These are only a few of many thousands,
maybe even millions of fortune-tellers. People consult psychics
because they believe they are communicating with spirits who
are helpful and kind. Perhaps even God Himself!

But what does the Bible say?

“¹⁹ So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting
mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings
and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the
dead? Why not ask your God?”

(Isaiah 8:19) (NIV)

³¹ Turn ye not unto them that have familiar spirits,
nor unto the wizards; seek them not out, to be defiled
by them: I am Jehovah your God.
(Leviticus 19:31) American Standard Version)

“¹⁰  For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a
burnt offering. And do not let your people practice
fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret
omens, or engage in witchcraft, ¹¹ or cast spells, or function
as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.
¹² Anyone who does these things is an object of horror
and disgust to the LORD. It is because the other nations
have done these things that the LORD your God will drive them
out ahead of you.”

(Deuternomy 18:10-12) (NLT)

Does Jehovah forbid us from consulting astrologers and psychics
because He does not want us to have fun or see the future?

No. We are forbidden to consult with them because the prophecies
are not coming from Jehovah, instead they are the "prophecies" from
the demons. These "prophecies" are frequently innaccurate because
the demons cannot see the future. If they could see the future, they
would know, for example, when "The End" of this world will occur:

“Concerning that day and hour nobody  knows, neither the
angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.”

(Matthew 24:36) (NIV)

As a matter of fact, when was the last time a psychic won a lottery?

Only Jehovah can see the future. Therefore, demons can only
simulate predicting the future. What the demons can do is make
things occur. This is especially true when a psychic foretells a
person’s death. The demons can bring about a person’s untimely
death to make the prediction come true.

²² You will know, because if the LORD says something will
happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that
the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the LORD.
Don't be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn't come
from the LORD.  
(Deuteronomy 18:22) (Contemporary English Version)

So what is the moral to the story?

Satan will be glad to put us to the test, and tries to test us at
every opportunity. Jehovah allows him to do this to see if we
will follow him or disregard him. Satan is stuck here on the
earth with nothing to do but torment us until the end comes:

“KEEP YOUR SENSES, be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil,
walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour (someone).”

(1Peter 5:8) (NIV)

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 7:15 (King James Version)

Ouija boards, tarot cards, crystal balls, psychics and astrologers
should never be consulted because the forces behind the predictions
are evil, and must be avoided. Jehovah loves us and knows what
is best for us and He will guide us if we ask him to.

Do You Love Jesus?

People who attend the churches of Christendom say they
love Jesus. These same people claim that they would gladly
invite Jesus and his apostles into their home to talk to them.

Would they really?

Christ and his apostles were proselytizers: that means they
tried to convert others to their faith and to their way of
thinking. That meant going door-to-door publicly announcing
Jehovah’s plan to return rulership of the earth back to Himself,
just like Jehovah’s Witnesses do.

¹ He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them
authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every
disease and sickness. ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out
with the following instructions: "Do not go among the
Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go
rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, preach
this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'
(Matthew 10:1,5-7) (NIV)

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house,
they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news."
(Acts 5:42) (NIV)

Christ and his followers preached about Armageddon and
the new kingdom almost two thousand years ago?

That must have been annoying!

When the Messiah and his followers tried to instruct the Jews
about how to show proper respect for his father, Jehovah, the
Pharisees, the most orthodox of the Jews, did not want to
learn from him; instead, they got offended.

How could the Jews be offended by Christ and the Apostles?
They had at one time worshipped the same God, Jehovah!

¹About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law
of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, ² "Why
don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do?
They don't even wash their hands before they eat." ³ Jesus
answered: Why do you disobey God and follow your own
teaching? ⁴ Didn't God command you to respect your father
and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse
their parents? ⁵ But you let people get by without helping their
parents when they should. You let them say that what they have
has been offered to God. ⁶ Is this any way to show respect to
your parents? You ignore God's commands in order to follow
your own teaching. ⁷ And you are nothing but show-offs! Isaiah
the prophet was right when he wrote that God had said, ⁸ "All of
you praise me with your words, but you never really think about
me. ⁹ It is useless for you to worship me, when you teach rules
made up by humans." ¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd together and said,
"Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. ¹¹ The food that
you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to
worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are
what make you unclean." ¹² Then his disciples came over to him
and asked, "Do you know that you insulted the Pharisees by
what you said?" ¹³ Jesus answered, "Every plant that my Father in
heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Stay away from
those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind
people, and all of them will fall into a ditch."
(Matthew 15:1-14) (New International Version)

In fact, the very people he was trying so hard to reach
did not want to listen to him, they wanted to kill him:

“¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area
and began driving out those who were buying and selling
there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and
the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow
anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My
house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But
you have made it 'a den of robbers.' " ¹⁸ The chief priests
and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking
for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole
crowd was amazed at his teaching.
(Mark 11:15-18) (NIV)

Yet Christ continued to promote his father's name publicly.
In prayer to his Father, His Son said:

"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know
you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I
made known to them your name, and I will continue to make
it known... I have manifested Your name to the men whom
You gave me out of the world."
(John 17:25,26,6) (English Standard Version)

What ability did Christ have to show his authority? How did
he prove to the people that he was indeed the Messiah?

He and his apostles had the power to perform miracles. 
This made them a great attraction to the general public.

"So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the
Good News and healing the sick."
(Luke 9:6) (New Living Translation)

If Jehovah's Witnesses could heal the sick, raise the dead, and
bring sight and hearing back to the deaf and blind; maybe people
today would not be so annoyed with them. Unfortunately, the
Bible makes it clear that although the prophets of old could
perform miracles and so could the apostles - those miraculous
powers would end and never be seen again from Jehovah until
Christ returns to the earth.

"...But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where
there are tongues, they will be stilled..."
(1Corinthians 13:8) (NIV)

So Jehovah's Witnesses are operating with a disadvantage -
they have all the spunk and zeal of the early Christians and
they preach the same good news but have nothing to really
dazzle the house-holders with except a pamphlet or magazine
which usually only irritates the householder.

Why do they do it?

This is everybody’s opportunity to learn the truth and
show faith in it. Proof is not being offered anymore. 
There will be no widespread show of miracles. People
who lack faith will not believe the truth when they hear
it and that will be their undoing:

"Behold, YOU scoffers, and marvel, and perish; for I am
accomplishing a work in YOUR days, a work which YOU
will never believe, though someone should describe it to
YOU.'"
(Acts 13:41) (New American Standard Bible) 

Jehovah's Witnesses do indeed endure the smirks and laughter
when today’s comedians portray them as mindless fools.

Why do they put up with it?

"But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not."
(Ezekiel 2:7) (NASB) 

There is no money in it for them so they must be
driven by some really powerful force. And they are.

"...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses...
even to the remotest parts of the earth."
(Acts 1:8) (NASB)

Like John the Baptist, someone has to pave the way for the coming
of Christ. Jehovah is getting ready to send his Son back a second time. 
Only this time his Son will return as a KING - ready to battle with God's
enemies, and to take over rule of the entire earth. This good news that
“will be preached” was prophesied before our Saviour was even born:

"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before
me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come... But who
can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. "
(Malachi 3:1,2)  (NIV)

"But before the end comes, the good news must be
preached to all nations."
(Mark 13:10) (CEV)

Jehovah's people - His Witnesses - are doing this very special
work for HIM. They are almost seven million strong and present
in every country - almost like a plague upon the earth.

"...ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. "
(Isaiah 43:12) (ASV) 

"And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify
that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge..."
(Acts 10:42) (NASB)

Jehovah's Witnesses do not care if anyone likes them
or not - for they have someone much more important
to answer to - someone much higher has sent them.

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who
will judge the living and the dead, and in view of
his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this
charge: ² Preach the Word; be prepared in season
and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—
with great patience and careful instruction.
(2Timothy 4:1,2) (NIV)

Many people consider Jehovah's Witnesses to be a “plague”
in the world. Plague or not - they are here to stay and will
not let up until Christ returns. Yes, right to the very end:

¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
in the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.
(Matthew 24:14) (NIV)

People have a choice now. They can join others in laughing
at Jehovah’s servants or they can listen to them.

What do they have to say?

"In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has
set a day when he will judge the world with justice by
the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this
to all men by raising him from the dead."
(Acts 17:30,31) (NIV)

Are the people who say: “I love Jesus” and “I love God”
but hate Jehovah's Witnesses just deluding themselves?