WOE TO THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY!
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 7:40AM Permalink Upon his final pilgrimage to Jerusalem Jesus denounced the Pharisees with a scathing series of “woes.” Ultimately, on that same occasion, Jesus condemned the holy city of Jerusalem itself, saying to the Jews: “Look! Your house is abandoned to you.”
Jerusalem had fulfilled its purpose. It had received its promised messianic king – he being rejected and put to death outside its hallowed walls.
The 5th chapter of Isaiah likewise issues a series of denunciatory woes against the leaders and inhabitants of Jerusalem.
As has already been discussed in previous installments of this commentary on Isaiah, Jerusalem typifies Christ’s congregation before it is refined. Although the prophecy is couched in the ancient setting of a vineyard the principles apply in our modern times. The Watchtower, of course, recognizes the truthfulness of that statement, but invariably they apply its meaning to Christendom or to individual Christians – certainly not the organization as a whole and especially not its leadership. But in view of the fact that Jesus primarily denounced the leaders of the Jews, and in recognition of the clearly established axioms that those whom people put in charge have greater accountability (Luke 12:48) and that teachers will receive a heavier judgment, this portion of the prophecy of Isaiah deserves a second look.
“Woe to the ones joining house to house, and those who annex field to field until there is no more room and you men have been made to dwell all by yourselves in the midst of the land! In my ears Jehovah of armies has sworn that many houses, though great and good, will become an outright object of astonishment, without an inhabitant. For even ten acres of vineyard will produce but one bath measure, and even a homer measure of seed will produce but an ephah measure.”
In recent decades the Watchtower Society has grown to become an international corporation with 101 branches and dozens of publishing facilities operating around the globe. Evidently, at one point during the 90’s the Watchtower Society was actually ranked as one of the biggest construction companies in the world due to its many building projects. It is rumored that the corporation is now planning to build another headquarters in New York State and exit Brooklyn altogether, likely in order to cash out of valuable Brooklyn real estate. The Society has also implemented the closure and consolidation of operations of several Central American branches. Evidently these developments have come about due to financial considerations, amounting to cost-cutting measures because of falling contributions – no doubt due to the economic downturn in recent years.
But what sort of precedent is there in the activities of the original Christians to justify the massive construction projects the Watchtower has sponsored over the years? There is none. The first century Christians did not engage in building temples or cathedrals or meeting places of any kind. Most certainly they did not construct factories, dormitories and office buildings. Jesus merely told his followers to go preach. And that is what they did. Jehovah’s spirit impelled them.
As it stands now, the Watchtower Corporation has filled the land, so to speak, as the prophecy states. There are thousands of kingdom halls all over the developed world (all owned by the Watchtower Society, though built and paid for by hard working rank-and-file contributors). While all credit is given to God, especially on occasions when facilities are officially dedicated to Jehovah, no doubt the men who have engineered the development of the organization consider the organization to be indispensable to the accomplishment of the Christian evangelical work. But is it?
Obviously not.
Jesus once said that God could make the stones cry out if men did not fulfill God’s mandate. And as already stated, first century Christians are said to have preached the kingdom message to the entire inhabited earth back then, all without so much as one magazine, tract, book, or anything other than a few tattered scrolls.
In spite of the massive corporation behind the worldwide ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses today the results have not been particularly impressive, as the growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses in recent years appears to have stagnated. This has prompted the Governing Body to resort to accepting field service reports of 15 minutes and promoting the baptism of younger and younger children. All and all the growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses seems to have merely kept pace with population growth overall.
Could this be the meaning of the prophecy quoted above, wherein 10 acres of vineyard produces a mere bath measure? In other words, without Jehovah’s blessing it doesn’t matter what men do, their success will be limited.
In any case, although it is unthinkable and considered completely out of the realm of possibility in the minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses presently, the “many houses, though great and good,” which are destined to become “an outright object of astonishment, without an inhabitant,” must be the houses of worship and related facilities belonging to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. How may that be determined?
All prophecy is harmonious. And this portion of Isaiah harmonizes with the prophecy of Joel, which states in its opening words: “Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; and howl, all you wine drinkers, on account of sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouths. For there is a nation that has come up into my land, mighty and without number. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jawbones of a lion. It has set my vine as an object of astonishment, and my fig tree as a stump. It has positively stripped it bare and thrown it away. The twigs of it have become white. Wail, as a virgin girded with sackcloth does over the owner of her youth.”
Just as in Isaiah, in the prophecy of Joel Jehovah likens his earthly nation to a vineyard, the vine of which is made to become an object of astonishment. And just as in Joel, the concluding part of the fifth chapter of Isaiah describes the desolator of the vineyard as a growling lion. The significance of the harmony between the two prophecies is that Joel, although also set in ancient Israel, clearly applies to God’s special possession during the conclusion. (See Chapter 18 - Joel)
By the light of prophecy it is the Watchtower and all of its holdings worldwide that is destined to become an object of astonishment in the very near future!
Noteworthy, too, just as in Joel, Jehovah addresses the leaders of his waylaid nation as “drunkards” and “wine drinkers,” as he informs them that the sweet wine has been cut off from their very mouths, so too, the next span of verses in Isaiah issues a similar woe, saying:
“Woe to those who are getting up early in the morning that they may seek just intoxicating liquor, who are lingering till late in the evening darkness so that wine itself inflames them! And there must prove to be harp and stringed instrument, tambourine and flute, and wine at their feasts; but the activity of Jehovah they do not look at, and the work of his hands they have not seen.”
Considering the harmony of the two prophecies the drunkards are not to be understood as being literal wine drinkers or the imbibers of literal intoxicating liquors. Also, given the fact that the 28th chapter of Isaiah is basically an enlargement of the prophecy under consideration here, and that part of Isaiah undoubtedly speaks to spiritual drunkards who are the leaders of God’s people at the time of Christ’s return, this segment of Isaiah must also be understood to speak to those who are spiritually drunk.
Jehovah’s Witnesses typically think of the common churchgoer as being drunk on Babylon’s wine. To be sure, they are drunk. Or as a famous communist once put it: “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”
But the truth can have an intoxicating effect also. It can cause one to become overly confident in their supposed righteousness and worth. And when men are given great honor and authority over others, that can have an intoxicating effect too. Did not Paul reprove some of the Corinthians for their unjustified cocksureness?
But how could the prophecy possibly apply to the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses? In what sense do they not look at the work of Jehovah’s hands? Well, could it possibly be pleasing to God if Christians praise Jehovah with their mouths and exalt over the success of their organization, such as is routinely done at assemblies and conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, while neglecting to properly care for the weak and defenseless? In that respect Jehovah’s Witnesses indeed imbibe of spiritual wine and intoxicating liquors and exalt with harp, stringed instrument, etc, but do not consider that Jehovah places a priority on pleading the cause of the proverbial fatherless boy.
As has been my unhappy duty to write about on many occasions, the many sexually abused children who have had the unfortunate experience of having the Watchtower as their adversary at law testifies against the spiritually inebriated and self-exalting leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The prophecy continues: “Therefore my people will have to go into exile for lack of knowledge; and their glory will be famished men, and their crowd will be parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has made its soul spacious and has opened its mouth wide beyond bounds; and what is splendid in her, also her crowd and her uproar and the exultant one, will certainly go down into it. And earthling man will bow down, and man will become low, and even the eyes of the high ones will become low. And Jehovah of armies will become high through judgment, and the true God, the Holy One, will certainly sanctify himself through righteousness. And the male lambs will actually graze as in their pasture; and the desolate places of well-fed animals alien residents will eat.”
As in the book of Joel, in Isaiah Jehovah declares those whom his judgments come against as “my people.” When Jehovah puts himself on high, the high ones and “the exultant one” will be brought low. This does not bode well for the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Woe indeed! The oncoming presence of Christ will not only discredit the Watchtower, seeing that they have been falsely heralding an invisible presence since 1874, but the entire organization is destined to go into exile, in the sense of having an awareness of having come under God’s rebuke. Ultimately, though, God will more directly become the shepherd of his people, so that is why immediately following the denunciation the male lambs are spoken of as peacefully grazing in their pasture.
The prophecy continues: “Woe to those drawing error with ropes of untruth, and as with wagon cords sin; those who are saying: ‘Let his work hasten; do let it come quickly, in order that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!’”
This analogy well describes the directors of the Watchtower Society. For decades it is as if they have drawn their 1914 wagon with ropes of error and untruth, all the while declaring their eagerness for the day of Jehovah to arrive. Apparently they actually believe their own hokum, that Christ judged the house of God back in 1918. Woe to them when the actual day arrives and the counsel of the Holy One of Israel is unveiled against them!
The prophecy continues: “Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own faces!”
If there is any doubt the prophecy of Isaiah is intended to be directed against the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses in modern times the verse above should dispel it.
Although Jesus referred to a faithful and discreet slave on only two occasions, the pages of the Watchtower make reference to that phrase hundreds of times. At virtually every meeting and convention gathering, Jehovah’s Witnesses may be heard praising and thanking the leading men of the Watchtower for being faithful, wise and discreet.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, though, are oblivious to the extent to which they have been misled. Consider just one example. The Watchtower claims that the bridegroom arrived in 1914 and the wise and discreet virgins with extra oil were the early Bible Students. Presumably, they went into the marriage feast way back then and the door to the feast was shut. If that were true though that would mean the marriage of the Lamb has already taken place; which is to be immediately followed by the final war of Armageddon. Clearly, the bridegroom has not arrived. This is an example of their putting light for darkness and darkness for light.
To be sure, the foolish virgins are still among us. Woe, indeed, to those who claim the sons of the kingdom are now shining as brightly as the sun within the Watchtower Society. Their light is going to flicker out when the hour of darkness arrives.
The prophecy continues: “Woe to those who are mighty in drinking wine, and to the men with vital energy for mixing intoxicating liquor, those who are pronouncing the wicked one righteous in consideration of a bribe, and who take away even the righteousness of the righteous one from him!”
As has already been established, the leadership of God’s earthly organization is spiritually intoxicated. But in what way are they “pronouncing the wicked one righteous in consideration of a bribe”?
One facet of this evil is reflected in their secretive partnership with the United Nations. While the Watchtower used to resolutely denounce the United Nations as an abomination, after becoming officially accepted by the United Nations’ Department of Public Information as an associate level NGO, the Watchtower was obligated to use a portion of the corporate resources to present the public with positive information regarding the United Nations and their plethora of initiatives and programs. This they undeniably did, as has been painstakingly documented on this site. (See Chapter 11 – Strange Bedfellows)
In return for their promoting the United Nations the Watchtower received help for humanitarian relief programs, including the use of UN vehicles and aircraft. So, in effect, the Watchtower pronounced the UN to be a righteous institution in exchange for their assistance, which amounts to receiving a bribe in return for publishing positive information about the UN.
Conversely, the Watchtower Society has also taken “away even the righteousness of the righteous one.” How so? To date the Watchtower organization has never, ever admitted an error or accepted any responsibility for stumbling others. Anyone who dares to challenge the Watchtower for their hypocrisy is ruthlessly crushed.
Take the case of Barbara Anderson. She and her husband were both zealous Watchtower supporters for many years. They both were volunteer workers at Bethel. But due to her extensive research and close association with the Governing Body Sister Anderson became aware that the Service Department knowingly appointed pedophiles to positions of responsibility and maintained a database with the names of thousands of known pedophiles lurking within the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, many of whom had never been disfellowshipped, nor were their vile crimes against children ever reported to the local police. When her concerns for the safety and welfare of the children in the congregations were dismissed by the princes of Bethel she became disillusioned and eventually went to the media as a whistleblower. Even though Barbara had left Bethel and eventually stopped associating altogether, in order to discredit Anderson the Watchtower Society ordered her former congregation to disfellowship her before the media aired their exposé. When queried by the press as to why Anderson was disfellowshipped right before the airing of the program the Watchtower's spokeman lied, implying that her disfellowshipping had nothing to do with her going to the press, but was because she was an immoral sinner. Consequently, a libel lawsuit against the Society is presently winding its way through the judicial system.
One thing became clear to the Andersons, as well as to many others too, the leaders of the Watchtower give the public image of the organization greater priority then the well-being and protection of children. But this is an example of how the Watchtower takes away the righteousness of the righteous. Of course, this is merely one example. There are many instances of righteous persons running afoul of the Society and paying the price for it. Woe, indeed, for the lawyers and policy makers of the Watchtower Society! Their day is coming!
Jesus foretold a day of reckoning between himself and the servants whom he appointed to feed the household of his domestic servants. What will the master find when he unexpectedly returns? As Jesus explained by means of numerous illustrations, he will find an ignorant but faithful faction and an unfaithful, evil, sluggish slave. The wicked slave will be put out into the outer darkness, where he is destined to weep and gnash his teeth. In other words, he will be put to death.
It is a serious responsibility to bear the name of God before the world. It is an even weightier thing to wield authority in the name of Jehovah and to teach his word. Inevitably, Jehovah must judge those who do. And it is only those who speak and teach in the name of Jehovah who can bring reproach upon the name and show disrespect for the God who bears that name. For that reason, woe, indeed, for the Watchtower Society!
“Therefore just as a tongue of fire eats up the stubble and into the flames mere dried grass sinks down, their very rootstock will become just like a musty smell, and their blossom itself will go up just like powder, because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of armies, and the saying of the Holy One of Israel they have disrespected. That is why the anger of Jehovah has grown hot against his people, and he will stretch out his hand against them and strike them. And the mountains will be agitated, and their dead bodies will become like the offal in the midst of the streets.”
To be continued....
Reader Comments (13)
Watchman, that is a very strong denunciation, and true though. Be careful my friend, I am sure as you probably know yourself that the WT more than likely has a so called theocratic war with you.I hope you understand that they would do anything possible in their power to silence you.Do you think that they are still involved with the UN?
Great post. Thank you very much because here you answered the question I had about the WT getting rich with real estate.
In the Organized To Do JEHOVAH'S Will book on page 16 paragraph 2 under the sub heading ' Identifying the faithful and discreet slave ' it says," What, then are the " belongings "? These are all the spiritual assets on earth that have become Christ's property in connection with his authority as heavenly King. Included are facilities at the headquarters of JEHOVAH'S witnesses, along with branch offices, Kingdom Halls, and Assembly Halls worldwide. The "belongings" also embrace the commission to preach " this good news of the kingdom " throughout the earth and to teach those who respond. The "slave" serves as God's instrument to gather into association with the congregation "a great crowd... out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues," who will survive the great tribulation. In fact, this great crowd plays a large part in seeing to it that the good news is preached to the ends of the earth. They are among the precious "belongings" of Christ and are greatly loved by the slave class for their loyal, zealous support. When I first read this it made me think of Matthew chapter 19 verse 21 and 22, Jesus said to him,"If you want to be perfect, go sell your belongings and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come be my follower. When the young man heard this saying, he went away grieved, for he was holding many possessions."
Watchman,
you are doing a great job identifying the slaves of the WT as the most reprehensible part of God's nominal people denounced in the prophecy of Isaiah,
which with equal force exposes the hypocrisy and deceit in all the rest of the Churches of Christendom, among which the WT is but a junior partner in the crime of misrepresenting God and teaching lies in His Name.
It is obvious, though, that none of the above comprise the congregation or body of Christ - which being indwelled by Christ as Head of His body and ongoingly readjusted through His Spirit and Word, has never since its inception been subject to the wrath of God, as has His nominal people, both in history and down to our day.
Over the centuries - and ever since the death of the apostles - history has proven again and again, that anyone receiving the true anointing from the Holy One,
while belonging to ANY Christian group, has to decide just where to place his loyalty - God's nominal and 'official' people and representatives, or the calling to be in Christ as a member of His body or congregation,
since no one can serve two masters, seeing that God's nominal people have become part of the world under Satan's control from the end of the first Century onward.
You are just a more recent example of people who prove my point, if we consider the track record of the Christian Churches who have expelled people for speaking the truth of God during the Middle Ages and beyond, right down to the wrongful disfellowshippings practiced by the WT-anointed today.
The promised restoration does not come upon the congregation or body of Christ - because there is nothing to restore in the true wheat, the genuine Sons of God - but is sorely needed upon God's nominal people, composed of the remnant of Christians -
both inside and outside of the WT - who will have rejected receiving the mark of the beast and are left remaining over after the end of the great tribulation, at the revelation and subsequent presence of Christ.
They will receive their disciplining and judgment during the great tribulation, and if found faithful, will receive the promised restoration to pure worship in the new millennium immediately after Armageddon.
Rather than anticipating the fall of the WT, we can expect them, along with their co-religionists of Christendom, to be mounting the incoming global NWO beast for the ride of their lives FIRST, as they are forced to give up their Christian profession at the start of the apostasy, or great rebellion, against Christ, at some time in the future.
Proxy,I have read your thoughts before on religions, and the one world faith,and I find it quite intriguing, and very possible.The WT in proving it is a corporation more interested in monetary material things ,and the glory of men,instead of justice for the little ones,and setting things right in many ways.I could see it whereas to gain more members ,and even more unity, that new light could flash for them, adjusting things for JWs for the so called good,and of course they would say for the Glory Of God, but not really.
Greetings Proxy
If you could take the time and give me your understanding of theses scriptures –
With this subject in mind – Judgment of the “HOUSE of GOD” 1 Peter 4 –
17 For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God? 18 “And if the righteous [man] is being saved with difficulty,
Luke 12:47-48 -Then that slave that understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do in line with his will will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one that did not understand and so did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few.
Isaiah 54:6-11 - 6 For Jehovah called you as if you were a wife left entirely and hurt in spirit, and as a wife of the time of youth who was then rejected,” your God has said.
7 “For a little moment I left you entirely, but with great mercies I shall collect you together. 8 With a flood of indignation I concealed my face from you for but a moment, but with loving-kindness to time indefinite I will have mercy upon you,” your Repurchaser, Jehovah, has said.
9 “This is just as the days of Noah to me. Just as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more pass over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not become indignant toward you nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains themselves may be removed, and the very hills may stagger, but my loving-kindness itself will not be removed from you, nor will my covenant of peace itself stagger,” Jehovah, the One having mercy upon you, has said.
11 “O woman afflicted, tempest-tossed, uncomforted, here I am laying with hard mortar your stones
Matt 25:35-40 - For I became hungry and YOU gave me something to eat; I got thirsty and YOU gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and YOU received me hospitably; 36 naked, and YOU clothed me. I fell sick and YOU looked after me. I was in prison and YOU came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you?’ 40 And in reply the king will say to them, ‘Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.’
I ask this because you have made the statement that the “real wheat” will need no correction or restoration.
This is your quote –
“The promised restoration does not come upon the congregation or body of Christ - because there is nothing to restore in the true wheat, the genuine Sons of God –
but is sorely needed upon God's nominal people, composed of the remnant of Christians -
both inside and outside of the WT - who will have rejected receiving the mark of the beast and are left remaining over after the end of the great tribulation, at the revelation and subsequent presence of Christ.”
Yes, the "princes of Bethel" have so much to answer for. I eagerly await their wake-up call.
There is a spelling error/typo: "responsibly".
Brian,
I think we can safely view the term 'house of God' as being synonymous with the term 'God's people,' while keeping in mind that it refers to the nominal adherents of Christianity and Judaism on the one hand, and the body of Christ's chosen ones on the other.
In most scriptures this distinction is readily discernable, like in the Olivet discourse, for instance, where the great tribulation on God's nominal people is clearly preceded by tribulation for the body of Christ,
if we compare the section of verses occurring before those dealing with the great tribulation in all three gospel accounts.
Mathew uses the word 'tribulation' (verse 9) for the 'judgment' on the body of Christ, while Mark explains that this would involve being delivered up to local courts and being beaten in synagogues,
contrasting this phase of persecution with the coming desolation of God's nominal people, from which the body of Christ would be exempted by fleeing into the 'mountains.' (Mk 13:9-13, 14)
That these are two separate 'judgment' events, successively dealing with the two distinct people of God, can be seen by the existence of synagogues in the first event, which would surely no longer be present during the great tribulation on Jerusalem, God's nominal people.
The passage in Mathew 25:31-46 nicely corroborates the above view, in that it implies a time period, during the tribulation on the body of Christ, (and prior to the great tribulation) where others are not affected, but have the opportunity and means to minister to these holy ones.
As to the restoration prophecies of the OT, they all apply to God's nominal people, a remnant of which will come out of the great tribulation in order to be restored to pure worship along with all other survivors, those not having professed Christianity, as well as all those to be raised from the dead at that time.
Greetings Proxy
thanks for taking the time to respond! Your comments are helpful in a double handed kinda way:-)
The Ovilet discourse was not a phrase i was familiar with - thank God for Wiki --
Now I have another question for you, if it would be your good pleasure.
Could you be of the mind that the account of Luke describing the distruction Jerusalem was in fact given by Jesus not on the Mount of Olives?
But was indeed a seprate discourse given before the Olivet discourse to the disciples in general, but about the same subject.
Brian,
Yes. You ARE correct. Your eyes did NOT deceive you.
The scriptures DO plainly tell us exactly WHERE God’s earth wide Judgment STARTS.
(Or BEGINS .. depending on translation .)
“For the time has come for judgment, and it MUST BEGIN with God’s HOUSEHOLD. And if judgment BEGINS with US, (Caps Mine) what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?” - 1 Pet 4:17
The scriptures also tells us HOW the righteous ones are to be saved:
“If the righteous are BARELY SAVED,(or as some translations word it WITH DIFFICULTY -Caps Mine) what will happen to godless sinners?” - 1 Pet 4:18
Do we not even find recorded information as to the POINT in TIME that we can begin to DECLARE ourselves SAVED?
“ But he that has ENDURED TO THE END is the one that will be SAVED..” - Matt 24:13
In view of the foregoing; what can be CLEARER and easier to understand than the above verses?
Are any of the above scriptures really THAT difficult to COMPREHEND?
Yet, if there’s NO (end time) judgment for the “HOUSE of God“ as some may strongly assert, would not ALL the above verses be INCORRECT?
…..But how could THAT ever be???
No, there’s just too much solid SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE for us to reach that unbiblical, heretical conclusion.
For instance when we consider Jesus words to the “seven churches” of the “Lord’s Day” we can ask:
Why would Jesus (prophetically) give so many STRONG WARNINGS and REBUKES to his slaves “of the Lords Day” (as recorded in Rev chaps 2 and 3) and threaten to (possibly) “remove [their] lampstands from its place” unless they repented, if this was not a very serious period of JUDGMENT for them? Why would he also threaten some of the other churches with (possibly) warring “against them with the sword of [his] mouth.” and … throwing “[them] onto a sickbed, and …into great tribulation, … and…. [striking] ..her children dead;” to the extent that, “…. all the churches will know that [he is the one] who searches mind and heart, and .. will give to EACH .. (Caps Mine) according to [their] works” if this was not their JUDGMENT period?
Why would our kind and refreshing Lord issue all these dire, eternal LIFE and DEATH ultimatums to the “seven churches” of the ’Lords Day” if this were not truly a VERY CRUCIAL TIME of JUDGMENT for ALL involved?
Well, frankly that just wouldn’t MAKE ANY SENSE at all, now would it?
Yet, does not this very book of Revelation (also) inform us out that there would be SOME who would clearly DISCERN that this IS a DECISIVE PERIOD of JUDGMENT and inspection?
We know this because why else would the “two witnesses” be said to be prophesying clothed “in sackcloth”?
We do know (of course) what being clothed in “sackcloth” signifies don’t we?
Would not this “sackcloth” attire suggest a repentant, humble and compliant attitude of those who RESPOND FAVORABLY to the TRUE GOD during a conclusive period of JUDGMENT? (compare - Jonah 3:5 - 10)
And there are soooo many other bible verses that equally and forcefully make the point that God WILL discipline and REFINE his HOUSEHOLD, TEMPLE, COVENANT PEOPLE FIRST and then used his ‘restored’ people to his Glory. There’s just no need to list all the verses here at this time.
So, while they may be some ‘SELF RIGHTEOUS’ groups (like the Superfine Apostolic Class of the WTS or the ‘HOLY ROLLERS’ of Christendumb and others) who may continually arrogate that everybody ELSE on the planet will get their (well needed and deserved) judgment EXCEPT THEM, we do well to always REJECT such UNSCRIPTURAL, nonsensical, supercilious, self exalting babble.
In closing, I'm sure you are aware of how Jesus warned that (if possible) even some of the chosen ones would be ‘deceived‘(Matt 24:24) during the conclusion of the system of things and that he also advised ALL of his followers (in the model prayer at Matt 6:13) to occasionally PRAY that God DELIVERS us from the ‘WICKED ONE’.
(Why would our Lord urge us to pray that way if there wasn’t an urgent NEED for it?)
For if we ever get to thinking that NONE of the above bible verses could (ever) possibly apply to us PERSONALLY, could it be that even as we begin to manifest this very lofty unbiblical ATTITUDE, we’re already starting to display one of the most profound symptoms of being utterly DUPED and ‘DECEIVED’ by the ‘WICKED ONE’ ???
||||||| ((( |Q| ))) |||||||
Was just reading about the 7 congregations, three(3) of which were in immediate NEED of repentance, includ.\the one with the "synagogue of Satan"? so when would these congregations be willing to fulfill these scriptures, ...during the gt. tribulation. . followed by the estab. of the "image of the Beast = mark of the beast" so that the 1260 days of
remnant preaching in sackcloth, unhindered by the Wild Beast Rev 11:5,6 would be followed by the "revealing of
the Sons of Gods Kingdom" verses 7,-10 Jesus calls from Heaven "come on up here" to Kingdom heirs..
even if the Wild beast "conquers" them , could it be that its their message that it "kills"....there will b many tests
on so-called christians during those 1260 days of 8th king-rule but the ultimate test will be on their "faith in GOD"
to repudiate the "mark" and accept the consequences (perhaps guillotine in the detention camp see: FEMA)
Only those who remain "in the city" will be deceived and how much TIME do they need for the Holy spirit to spell
it out ......they are in danger of losing more than their "hope". In God we trust, amen
Brian,
whether the material of Luke 21 derives from an occasion other than the one informing the notes of Math.24 and Mark 13 is doubtful, and in any case, rather immaterial,
because maximum benefit obtains to us not by answering questions of synchronicity, but by comparing each subdivision among the three Synoptists with each other, thus extracting the full picture of what Jesus is actually trying to convey.
The divisions are as follows:
Mat24:3-6; Mk13:3-7; Lu21:7-9
Mat24:7,8; Mk13:8; Lu 21:10,11
Mat24:9-14; Mk13:9-13; Lu21:12-19
Mat24:15-28; Mk13:14-23; Lu21:20-24
Mat24:29-31; Mk13:24-27; Lu21:25-28
Mat24:32-42; Mk13:28-37; Lu21:29-36
In thus comparing these sections with each other it becomes apparent that the 'nation against nation' development actually forms a pericope - a digression that Jesus inserts here out of sequence and which finds its fulfilment at some time AFTER the great tribulation on Christianity, when global anarchy overtakes the nations at the revelation of Christ.
Any and all wars happening before the great tribulation finishes, are merely counted as 'wars and rumours of wars.'
Greetings Proxy
Your direction is beginning ever so slightly to make some in roads with me.
The duplicity point of the nominal house and a distinct faithful slave/bride
class may have turned the key for me.
I believe the Old Testament prophets speak about the Bride Class, but it would
not make sense that an engaged groom would conduct a beating of his future wife directly before there marriage.
Thanks I will keep picking away.
Brain