• The “Keys” of the Greatest Government Put to Use
    The Watchtower—1979 | October 1

    • b All of this took place during the latter half of the final week of the “seventy weeks” of years foretold in Daniel 9:24-27a. During that 70th “week” Jehovah God was keeping in force toward the natural Israelites the Abrahamic covenant in which the Israelites found themselves by natural descent from Abraham. (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18) In contrast with Philip who fled from the persecution to Samaria, Acts 11:19 tells us: “Those who had been scattered by the tribulation that arose over Stephen went through as far as Phoenicia and [the island of] Cyprus and Antioch [in Syria], but speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.” The 70th “week” of special favor to the natural Jews because of the Abrahamic covenant ended in early autumn of 36 C.E., it having begun with Jesus’ baptism and anointing in 29 C.E. So the admittance of the baptized Samaritans to the heavenly Kingdom privileges did not open the way for all other non-Jews “to the most distant part of the earth” or spearhead the great flow of such uncircumcised Gentiles into the spirit-begotten Christian congregation.

  • “The Keys of the Kingdom” and the “Great Crowd”
    The Watchtower—1979 | October 1

    • 2. When was the Mosaic Law covenant abolished, and yet for how long was preferential treatment to circumcised Jewry continued?

      2 The Law covenant that Moses had mediated between Jehovah God and Israel at Mount Sinai in Arabia was abolished on the basis of the impalement of Jesus Christ, the descendant of Abraham and King David. That was three years and a half from the water baptism and spirit-anointing of Jesus back in 29 C.E. Nevertheless, Jehovah continued to give preferential treatment to the natural Jews and Samaritans also during this period for three years and a half more, to fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27a. This “week” or period of seven years terminated in the seventh lunar month (Tishri) of 36 C.E. From then on the Israelite descendants of Abraham would be put on the same spiritual level as the people of the non-Jewish nations, the uncircumcised Gentiles. After that no more preferential treatment to the Jews by the God of Abraham!