Why a Watchman?

Being a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness since 1977, e-watchman is devoted to adding prophetic insights into the difficult issues of faith facing the Watchtower organization and all of Jehovah’s Witnesses, especially going forward. As an anointed follower of Christ Jesus, (Since 1996) e-watchman also endeavors to follow the pattern of biblical watchmen in announcing the coming judgment of Jehovah upon the house of God. To that end this site contains over 1,000 printed pages offering in-depth interpretive commentary on numerous Bible prophecies, including Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Joel, Amos, Daniel, Isaiah, Hosea, Lamentations and Revelation. 

This site also seeks to shed light upon the prophetic Scriptures as they pertain to the ultimate creation of the so-called Illuminati, new world order and the intent of the London-centered financier oligarchy to reduce the world’s population by a substantial percentage.

And in answer to a question many have asked, e-watchman is not a group of people, but merely an individual – Robert King.

But many may ask why one of Jehovah’s Witnesses would start a web site devoted to discussing Bible prophecy. After all, the Watchtower has instructed the congregations that individuals should not use the Internet to discuss the Bible. And besides, the Watchtower has its own web site; and therefore, no one should take it upon himself to privately publish on the Internet. Furthermore, it is generally accepted among all members of the Christian congregation that the Watchtower is the sole channel of spiritual instruction for all of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. Consequently, any competing voice should not be given any heed out of loyalty for the accepted arrangement. And to be sure, the Scriptures themselves warn, “many false prophets have gone forth into the world.” (1 John 4:1) So, why would an otherwise faithful, longtime Christian, defy the Watchtower's direction in this regard even at the cost of being ostracized by Jehovah’s Witnesses as an apostate?

In the Bible times of walled cities, watchmen served a vital function as sentries assigned to keep on the lookout for any signs of approaching armies, marauder bands, the return of their own ruler and his men from a battle, or any other similar event. The station of watchman was considered so important due to its responsibility for the lives of their fellow citizens that one could be put to death if found negligent in the discharge of their duties. Using that very analogy, Jehovah commissioned spiritual watchmen who were charged by him with announcing his coming judgments.  

For example, Isaiah wrote: “For this is what Jehovah has said to me: ‘Go, post a lookout that he may tell just what he sees.’ And he saw a war chariot with a span of steeds, a war chariot of asses, a war chariot of camels. And he paid strict attention, with much attentiveness. And he proceeded to call out like a lion: ‘Upon the watchtower, O Jehovah, I am standing constantly by day, and at my guardpost I am stationed all the nights...’” (Isaiah 21:6-8)  

Habakkuk, another ancient prophetic watchman, explains his duty: “At my guard post I will keep standing, and I will keep myself stationed upon the bulwark; and I shall keep watch, to see what he will speak by me and what I shall reply at the reproof of me.” (Habakkuk 2:1)  

What is especially important is that the watchman calls out what he sees, not merely what he expects to see, and surely not what he is told by others to see. A faithful watchman cannot merely tell others what they want to hear. The true watchman has to have the courage to be the bearer of bad news if duty calls for such.   On the other hand, Jehovah describes the negligent watchmen with these words: “His watchmen are blind. None of them have taken note. All of them are speechless dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber.”  (Isaiah 56:10)  

Imagine a watchdog that is unable to bark when intruders encroach! That is how Jehovah depicts those who are in responsible positions as watchmen, but who ultimately fail to live up to their responsibility as such.  

The Bible's inerrant record indicates that God’s ancient people, both the Jews and the Christians, often imagined themselves to be fully enlightened; yet from Jehovah’s standpoint they were blind.  Jesus’ letter to the congregation in Laodicea, which in reality is addressed to anointed Christians living during the much later period called “the Lord's day,” charges them with being spiritually blind. Revelation 3:17 says: “Because you say: ‘I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,’ but you do not know you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked.”  

Since Jesus charged all of his anointed followers to remain on the watch for their master’s return, he evidently knew that some anointed Christians would gradually become lulled into a deep sleep, spiritually, and fail to stay watchful. Apparently, many would even become complacent, because they would come to imagine that they were fully enlightened and not needing anything more from Jehovah.  

In some respects that attitude seems to characterize the entire Watchtower Society. Jehovah’s Witnesses imagine that they are living in a spiritual paradise and the Watchtower Society boasts of practicing pure worship and of speaking a pure language of unadulterated truth. Jehovah’s Witnesses imagine that God called his house to judgment decades ago and now all within the confines of “spiritual paradise” are a clean people. In effect, are you not saying to Christ, ‘we are spiritually rich and do not need anything more’?  

In the 12th chapter of Luke, Jesus spoke at some length on the need for his little flock to stay on the watch. Christ exhorted them, saying: “Let your loins be girded and your lamps be burning, and you yourselves be like men waiting for their master when he returns from the marriage, so that at his arriving and knocking they may at once open to him.”  

Christ went on to explain that his arrival would be by stealth, like a thief in the night that comes at an hour his disciples “do not think likely.” However, for those whom he actually finds ready and waiting, after punishing them for their shortcomings, Jesus rewards them by appointing them over all of his belongings.  

Contrary to the Watchtower’s oft-repeated assertion, Jesus has not yet come as a thief in the night. If he has, what is the point of remaining on the watch? And how is it that Jesus is coming at a time his disciples do not think likely? The Watchtower Society claims to have discerned the precise day, month and year that Jesus returned. The Watchtower’s teaching relegates Christ’s presence and the judgment of his household to the 1914-1919 period. Thus, vast portions of Jehovah’s judgments and judicial decisions have been nullified by assigning their application to the past, when instead they undoubtedly await fulfillment in the near future.  For this very reason the coming of the Son of man will be at an hour you do not think!

Consider Luke 12:37, where Jesus said: “Happy are those slaves whom the master on arriving finds watching! Truly I say to you, He will gird himself and make them recline at the table and come alongside and minister to them.” Of special note is the expression where Jesus said that he would “come alongside and minister to them.”  

The Greek word parousia, which is rightly translated as “presence,” literally means “coming alongside.” Again, has Jesus come as a thief in the night? No, he has not. That being the case, then, neither has he come “alongside” his faithful anointed ones, yet. That means that Jesus’ presence alongside his chosen ones did not begin in the autumn of 1914, nor at any time since then for that matter, because otherwise our long watch would be over.  

And while the Watchtower Society has done its best to keep Christians spiritually alert and in expectation, nevertheless, it is inevitable that when Christ finally arrives it will require that Jehovah’s Witnesses quickly discard a good portion of what they presently are firmly convinced is the absolute truth.

What we are facing, then, is the unexpected arrival of Christ when he comes to inspect God’s house of anointed ones. What a test of faith awaits all of Jehovah’s Witnesses! No wonder Peter, when foretelling that judgment begins first with the house of God, went on to say: “Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God? And if the righteous man is being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly man and the sinner make a showing?”  

The reader will likely ask: ‘But what about the signs of Christ’s presence and the chronology of the times of the Gentiles and all of that?’ Those are the topics that are discussed in detail on this site. But in a word, in view of the world’s increasingly unsettled condition, with the drums of war reverberating around the globe, with the financial system staggering from one crisis to the next, it is not at all out of the question that the sign of Christ’s presence will present itself on a scale that will make both previous world wars pale by comparison.  

So dear reader, because of the obvious peril the world is now facing – an unspeakable peril that could ultimately involve the nightmarish scenario of the large-scale use of weapons of mass destruction – and in view of the grave spiritual danger that Jehovah’s Witnesses have been brought by believing the “artfully contrived false story” that Christ’s powerful presence has already begun, it should be apparent why there is a need for a voice in the wilderness as it were – a watchman, whose voice exists outside the institution of the Watchtower Society.

ARE YOU A PROPHET? (2005 Mailbag)

Your site is quite interesting. My question, after examining your site, is:

Do you consider yourself to be a prophet of Jehovah?

---

According to the Watchtower's criteria I am.

Here are a few comments from the Insight on the Scriptures under the heading of prophet:

"The Greek prophetes literally means "a speaker out". . . and thus describes a proclaimer, one who makes known messages attributed to a divine source. Though this includes the thought of a predictor of the future, the fundamental meaning of the word is not that of prediction. Nonetheless, living in harmony with God's will requires that the individual know what Jehovah's revealed purposes for the future are so that he may bring his ways, desires, and goals into line with the divine will. Hence, in the great majority of cases, the Biblical prophets did convey messages that were, directly or indirectly, related to the future."

My work is all about speaking out; declaring Jehovah's future judgments--as contained in Scripture. By definition that makes me a prophet.

However, there are other factors to consider. According to the Watchtower, the entire organization serves as a prophet—or at least the anointed are designated as a prophet class. (For example: The Jeremiah Class the Ezekiel Class and John Class, etc.) That assumption is based upon Bethel's interpretation that wayward Israel and Judah typify Christendom. And in light of the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses have denounced Christendom--as the original prophets denounced Israel--we have come to assume that the entire organization functions as a biblical prophet.

There are, however, several problems with that view. First, there is no valid reason to ascribe all the denunciatory prophecies to Christendom while applying all the laudatory prophecies to Jehovah's Witnesses. Also, there is simply no basis in reality for the Watchtower's long-held, oft-repeated teaching that the grand repurchase of spiritual Israel took place in 1919. (Discussed in detail elsewhere)

Secondly, there is no scriptural justification for the notion of a prophet class. Prophets, by their very nature, were individuals who spoke for God before the nation or its leaders. Prophets were the very antithesis of an organization. As individuals they often stood alone against Jehovah's organization and its corrupt leaders.

For instance, Jeremiah described his situation in the following way: "Because of your hand I have sat down all by myself, for it is with denunciation that you have filled me."

In what way has the so-called faithful slave sat down all by itself because of being filled with Jehovah's denunciation against Christendom? Honestly, the Watchtower rarely even condemns Christendom anymore anyway.

Ascribing to the Watchtower prophet-class status is like saying that Jehovah used the kings and priests of ancient Israel to denounce themselves. It is an absurdity.

The Insight on the Scriptures goes on to say of the prophets:

"Their activity served as a check on the kings of Israel and Judah, for they boldly reproved erring rulers and declared God's judgments against those who practiced wickedness. When the priesthood deviated and suffered corruption, the prophets were Jehovah's means for strengthening the faith of a righteous remnant and for pointing the way back to God's favor for those who had strayed. Like Moses, the prophets on many occasions acted as intercessors, praying to God in behalf of king and people. They were especially active in times of crisis or great need. They gave hope for the future, as at times their messages foretold the blessings of Messiah's government."

Like Israel and Judah of old, the Watchtower Society has become completely arrogant and corrupt. They have twisted and distorted the prophecies to glorify themselves and deflect God's judgments against them. They have disfellowshipped Jehovah's people left and right because many just could no longer choke down some of the Watchtower's preposterous prophetic interpretations. Bethel has corrupted itself by political alliances and backroom compromises. They have misled Jehovah's Witnesses into a form of organizational idolatry. They have lied to the press and to all inquirers about their slimy dealings with the United Nations. They have used donated kingdom funds to crush the plaintive cry of victims of sexual abuse. They have denied Jehovah by claiming before the courts that Christian elders have no responsibility before God to protect children from the crimes of a congregant.

Now, in view of all this badness and the historical role the prophets played, is it realistic to expect the Watchtower to announce Jehovah's oncoming judgments against itself? Or is it more reasonable to expect that Jehovah's spirit would operate upon select individuals among Jehovah's Witnesses—moving them to speak out Jehovah's forthcoming judgments; while offering hope to those disaffected and stumbled? The biblical pattern unmistakably points to the latter.

Jeremiah was commanded to stand in the gate to the temple and announce Jehovah's judgments to the Jews passing by. Jeremiah's scroll was even read to the king of Judah by some of his princes.

I have endeavored to follow the pattern of the prophets as closely as I can by publishing Jehovah's judgments as broadly as possible—particularly among the upper levels of the Watchtower Society.

The prophets themselves foretold that there would be watchmen on the scene immediately prior to the execution of Jehovah's judgments. For instance Hosea 9:7-8 says: "The days of being given attention must come; the days of the due payment must come. Those of Israel will know it. The prophet will be foolish, the man of inspired expression will be maddened on account of the abundance of your error, even animosity being abundant. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God. As regards a prophet, there is the trap of a birdcatcher on all his ways; there is an animosity in the house of his God."

The question thinking Christians ought to ask is this: If apostate Israel typifies Christendom, what is signified by the fact that it is called the house of God? Really, the entire prophecy of Hosea has relevance to spiritual Israel. (See essay on Hosea) The last verse of the 3rd chapter indicates that the ultimate fulfillment will take place "in the final part of the days."

That being the case, the verse quoted above reveals that the abundance of error on the part of Jehovah's house causes men acquainted with the inspired expressions to become maddened and behave foolishly from the standpoint of observers. Yet, the prophecy confirms that even though his message is not received well because of animosity in the house of God—Jehovah's watchman is true.

From the e-Watchman Mailbag (2006)

I have read most of your essays and commentaries and find them very interesting, but as you know there are some JWs who have published blogs that contradict what you have written. One blog called ‘the truth about the truth’ discusses the prophecy of Joel and defends the WT teaching. I would be very interested to see your response to this. Thanks.

The blog you are referring to doesn’t really explain the prophecy of Joel at all. It merely discusses one span of verses in the 2nd chapter of Joel. By restricting his treatment of Joel to a couple of verses the blogger apparently wants to give the impression that he has offered some sort of legitimate interpretation of the entire prophecy. Thinking persons, though, should realize that the prophecy of Joel cannot adequately be explained or comprehended by such simplistic means. Even though it is his intent to defend the Watchtower, it seems most telling that the blog does not offer any comment on the Watchtower’s own bizarre interpretation of Joel. Likely the blogger recognizes that the Society’s teaching is indefensible. So, to avoid calling attention to the Society’s own ridiculous teaching and spare himself the embarrassment of actually defending such obvious absurdities, the blogger adroitly focuses on a couple of verses in Joel, which the apostle Peter applied to the Pentecost anointing. (For the uninformed: For 70 years the Watchtower has taught that the locusts, caterpillers and loathsome cockroaches of Joel, which wreak havoc upon the world, somehow represent Jehovah’s Witnesses. Conversely, the priests ministering in Jehovah’s temple are presumed to symbolize the clergy of Christendom, who are supposedly tormented by the Watchtower’s message and who beseech Jehovah for deliverance from the message of Jehovah's Witnesses. Click here for a detailed discussion of Joel.) Based upon the apostle’s application of one aspect of Joel, the Watchtower then extrapolates an entire timeframe for the prophecy of Joel in order to convince Jehovah’s Witnesses that the foretold outpouring of holy spirit occurred in 1919. The blogger is simply parroting the Society’s line of reasoning in an obvious attempt to persuade the gullible reader to continue to believe the Watchtower’s interpretation, without doing so overtly—for obvious reasons. Both the Watchtower and her apologist blogger are evidently oblivious to certain vital aspects of the prophecy of Joel. For one thing, Joel had no previous fulfillment during the Babylonian conquests of Judah. That is apparent from the fact the prophecy does not even mention the Babylonians or Chaldeans—as do the other prophets. Instead, the invaders are merely referred to as “the northerner”--as in the king of the north. Also, in the 3rd chapter of Joel Jehovah indicts the Phoenicians for stealing the treasures of his temple and for selling the sons of Judah to the sons of the Greeks. Historically the nations of Philistia did not loot the temple in Jerusalem nor did the Babylonians sell the Jewish exiles to the Greeks. Another incongruity is that in the 1st chapter of Joel Jehovah commands his priests and older men to call a solemn assembly and go to the house of God in order to call upon the name of Jehovah for salvation. That is exactly opposite of the instructions Jehovah issued to the Jews and Christians. Jeremiah, for instance, told the Jews they would keep living only if they fell away to the Chaldeans and abandoned the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Jesus similarly told his followers that they were to flee Jerusalem when the disgusting thing first stood in a holy place. In both instances if the Jews would have fled to the temple, as the older men were instructed in Joel, they would have perished at the hands of the invaders. Furthermore, the prophecy of Joel does not merely foretell disaster for God’s people, the onslaught of the symbolic locusts devastates the world. Consider Joel 2:2-3, which says: “There is a people numerous and mighty; one like it has not been made to exist from the indefinite past, and after it there will be none again to the years of generation after generation. Ahead of it a fire has devoured, and behind it a flame consumes. Like the garden of Eden the land is ahead of it; but behind it is a desolate wilderness, and there has also proved to be nothing thereof escaping.” Jehovah’s prophet describes the invaders as a unique military force—one which has no historical parallel. In fact, the language used in the above verse is very similar to the way Jesus described the great tribulation, when he said that no disaster has ever happened or will ever happen again to compare with the great tribulation. A sober-minded reading of Joel reveals the timeline of events to occur. First, Jehovah unleashes his military force, which rocks the world as never before. As a result, Jehovah's people and their field of operation are devastated. Next, God intervenes to rescue his people from their plight. That is when the outpouring of holy spirit takes place upon the already anointed sons and daughters. After that the nations are judged in the Low Plain of the Decision, which is to say--Armageddon. Clearly, though, it is during the world’s darkest hour to come that Jehovah will pour out his spirit as never before. Numerous other prophecies collaborate the series of events yet to occur. The Watchtower and her apologists fit the description of the spiritual drunkards of Joel. And no doubt they will continue babbling their nonsense up until the moment when Jehovah unleashes his military force to rouse them from their drunken stupor. for daily-updated questions from the e-Watchman Mailbag archive CLICK HERE

30 Questions for the Watchtower

The apostle exhorted Christians to "make sure of all things." The Watchtower Society even published a minister's handbook by that title that is intended to aid Jehovah's Witnesses to help others see the falsity of many of Christendom's teachings. However, ought not Jehovah's Witnesses also make sure of what the Watchtower teaches, particularly with regards to prophecy and the return of Christ?

Most of the questions below are issues that have been dealt with on e-watchman dot com over the years, as well as in the book, Jehovah Himself Has Become King. To date the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses remain oblivious to the manifold contradictions and absurdities that exist in the Watchtower’s interpretation of Bible prophecy.

To demonstrate the depth of the Watchtower Society’s error in these matters I am inviting active Jehovah’s Witnesses, Bible studies and interested persons as well, to participate in a campaign to put some relevant questions directly before the Bethel elders who are assigned to respond to correspondence.

In order to help out you must be willing to use your real name and address and the congregation you are associated with. If you are brave enough pass a copy of your question to your local elders for their consideration too. Notifying your elders would also serve a useful purpose. If Bethel suspects the questions are a concerted campaign and refuses to respond the local elders would be witnesses to the Watchtower's avoidance.

The Society typically takes a few months to respond, so be patient. As inquiries are answered you may forward them to me and I will post them on this page so that a public record is established and a discussion may take place.

Feel free to rewrite the questions as you see fit, putting things in your own words. Make sure to address them as “Dear Brothers” and be respectful. You might want to use a word processor template for a formal letter.

I would do the work myself except I have mailed the Watchtower on numerous occasions and I am fairly certain they are well acquainted with my name and various mailing addresses. And it would not be wise to make any reference to me, or this website. Also, if you have any suggested questions for submission please feel free to pass them to me. I will be adding to the list of possible questions on a daily basis.

Please help if you feel so inclined.

______________________________________________________________________________

Question #1: The 12^th chapter of Daniel says: Then one said to the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream: “How long will it be to the end of the wonderful things?” And I began to hear the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream, as he proceeded to raise his right hand and his left hand to the heavens and to swear by the One who is alive for time indefinite: “It will be for an appointed time, appointed times and a half. And as soon as there will have been a finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces, all these things will come to their finish.”

The Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy book teaches that the appointed times for the holy ones to be dashed to pieces ended in 1919, but there is no explanation of what the “wonderful things” may be that are also to come to an end at that same appointed time. What were these “wonderful things” that came to an end in 1919?

_________________________________________________________________________

Question #2: At Hebrews 9:28 Paul used the expression "the second time he appears" in reference to the return of Christ. Since Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and they visibly saw him, what is the biblical basis for Jehovah's Witnesses to believe in an invisible presence? I cannot find the exact term "invisible presence" in the Bible. 

______________________________________________________________ 

Question #3: The Revelation Grand Climax book says that people have already received the 666 mark of the beast because of supporting the UN and the political system in general, particularly since 1945. But doesn’t receiving the symbolic mark mean that a person is doomed to everlasting destruction? If people are already marked then what is the point of preaching to them? Can they lose the mark by repenting? And if so, what is the point of the mark in the first place?

__________________________________________________________________

Question #4: If the book of Daniel was unsealed in 1914 why is it that the Watchtower does not know who the king of the north is presently?

__________________________________________________________________

Question #5: Jehovah's Witnesses used to believe that the separation of the sheep and the goats was already taking place. Now, though, the Watchtower teaches that it occurs in the future. Does that mean that Jesus has not arrived in his glory and sat down upon his glorious throne yet?

____________________________________________________

Question #6: In the 13th chapter of Matthew Jesus explained the parable of the wheat and the weeds. He said the harvest represented a conclusion of the system of things, when the angels go out and remove out from Christ's kingdom all persons doing lawlessness and all things causing stumbling. If the wheat are harvested out of Christendom, as the Watchtower teaches, how have the angels removed all persons doing lawlessness and all things that cause stumbling? Are we to believe that the angels removed lawless persons from Christendom too? Or are we to believe that there are no lawless persons or things that cause stumbling among Jehovah's Witnesses?

______________________________________________________

Question #7: The 8^th chapter of Daniel refers to the Prince of princes defeating the last king, called the king fierce in countenance. The Watchtower teaches that the Prince is Jehovah. But isn’t a prince the son of a king? Elsewhere, the Bible uses expressions like Prince of peace and Michael, the great prince, which we recognize applies to the Messiah. Since Jesus is also called Lord of lords and King of kings, and he inherits the kingdom from his Father, the King, isn’t it more reasonable that Jesus is also the Prince of princes, while Jehovah is the God of gods? Identifying Jesus as the Prince of princes would also harmonize with the fact that all the prophecies of Daniel point forward to Christ vanquishing all earthly kingdoms.

____________________________________________________________

Question #8: In 1969, Fred Franz made an announcement at a district convention that the great tribulation hadn't started yet.  That was described as an 'electrifying' announcement in the Watchtower.  But doesn't it logically follow that if the great tribulation hasn't started yet, then all the prophetic interpretations/explanations/applications regarding the time period of 1914-1919 would need to be revised, in addition to the time period of 1922-1927, when the sounding of the 7 trumpets supposedly occurred? 

_____________________________________________________

Question #9: The May 15, 1995, Watchtower carried an article explaining how the spiritual light keeps getting brighter for God's people. It cited how great flashes of spiritual light enlightened the Bible Students back in 1926. As a result they came to realize that Christmas and the cross originated in pagandom. However, the book The Two Babylons, which was originally published back in the 1850's, painstakingly made the case that Christmas and the cross came from pre-Christian babylonish religion. Since the Watchtower was undoubtedly familiar with Alexander Hislop's work, why did it take over a half century for the Bible Students to receive a flash of divine light from the Watchtower? Is it not disingenuous for the Watchtower not to credit Hislop for his research and instead give the impression to your readers that Jehovah suddenly showered his truth down upon the Watchtower Society?

__________________________________________________

Question #10: The Watchtower teaches that Jehovah's Witnesses reside in a spiritual paradise. But according to the prophecies that depict that blessed condition God will not allow any harm to be done to his people, symbolized by the wolf laying down with the lamb, the lion with the calf, etc. But the reality is, thousands of tender lamb-like children have suffered horribly at the hands of cunning, animalistic child predators within the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. How could this be possible if the organization is really a predator-free spiritual paradise?

_______________________________________________________________

Question #11: According to Revelation, when the four horsemen are released authority is given them over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the long sword, food shortages and deadly plague. But the First World War and the Spanish Flu only killed a small percentage of the world back then - nowhere near 25%. And since 1914 the world's population has been steadily growing in spite of wars and disease, so that now there are seven-billion people on earth. If the horsemen of the Apocalypse were given authority over a quarter of the earth back in 1914 shouldn't we expect to see massive population reduction, such as when the Black Plague stalked Europe centuries ago?

____________________________________________________________

Question #12: The Reasoning from the Scriptures publication under the heading of the Last Days gives assurance that there could not be another world war since it would inevitably involve nuclear weapons and an all-out nuclear war would render the earth uninhabitable. But isn't it possible that a massive war could erupt seeing the limited use of atomic weaponry, especially the newly developed bunker-busting nuclear devices and tactical, battlefield nukes? The question is especially relevant since the world seems to be marching headlong towards global war.

________________________________________________________

Question #13: When Jesus spoke to his disciples about the coming destruction of the temple and Jerusalem he told them that "Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the nations until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled." It seems highly unlikely that the disciples would have understood Jesus to be referring back to the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon five centuries earlier. After all, Jehovah restored Jerusalem and even empowered the Jews to rebuild the temple. And even though the Jews did not have their own kingdom and Judah was a jurisdictional district of the empires that came after Babylon, the Jews still enjoyed relative freedom - particularly freedom of worship. The question is,  in what way was Jerusalem being trampled upon by the nations prior to the time the Romans literally trampled upon the holy city?

The 11th chapter of Revelation also foretells that the nations will trample the symbolic holy city and temple for a specified time. In view of the fact Bible prophecy interprets itself, isn't the 42 months the appointed times of the nations of which Jesus spoke, rather than the seven times of Nebuchadnezzar's madness?

________________________________________________________

Question #14: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they are living the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zephaniah regarding God giving his people the change to a pure language. The February 15, 2001, Watchtower teaches that the prophecy began to be fulfilled in 1914. But the article also points out the original fulfillment of Zephaniah was when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, which the Watchtower teaches finds a parallel in the future destruction of Christendom. The Watchtower also exhorts Jehovah’s Witnesses to follow the exhortation found at Zephaniah 2:3; namely, to seek Jehovah, meekness and righteousness before the burning anger of Jehovah comes upon the earth, which clearly has not occurred yet either.

However, according to Zephaniah 3:8-9 God’s people are to remain in expectation of Jehovah rising up to the booty and the pouring out of his rage upon the nations because it is “then,” in the context of that terrible judgment, that God gives the change to a pure language. The question is: Why does the Watchtower’s interpretation place the change to a pure language many years before God rises up to the prize, when Zephaniah clearly places it as taking place concurrent with God expressing his wrath? Also, who are the “haughtily exultant ones” who speak with a "tricky tongue" who will be removed from the midst of God’s people during the fiery day of Jehovah’s judgment?

___________________________________________________________

Question #15: The apostle Peter assured Christians that the apostles had not misled them with artfully contrived false stories related to the power and presence (parousia) of Christ. The apostle’s authority was based upon the fact that he, along with James and John, had been an eyewitness to Christ’s magnificence displayed in the Transfiguration.

Jehovah’s Witnesses realize the Transfiguration was a foregleam of the parousia. But since Peter, James and John personally witnessed a visible parousia, what scriptural basis is there for an invisible parousia? Is it possible that the chosen ones will be eyewitnesses to a visible parousia in the future? How can Jehovah’s Witnesses be sure that they have not been told an “artfully contrived false story” regarding an invisible parousia?

_______________________________________________________

Question #16: The Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy commentary asserts that the king fierce in countenance is the Anglo-America duo and they brought the mighty ones of the world to ruin, along with the holy ones, back during the Second World War. How are we to understand that? Who were the “mighty ones” that were brought to ruin then?

Also, in what way were Jehovah’s Witnesses brought to ruin? First century Christians were also persecuted, imprisoned and set upon by mobs, yet nowhere do we read that the holy ones were brought to ruin back then.

Secondly, although draft age men who refused military service were sent to prison in America, they were a relatively small percentage of Jehovah’s Witnesses. And even though Jehovah’s Witnesses were set upon by crazed mobs, isn’t it also true that the U.S. government defended the rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses with many favorable Supreme Court rulings? The fact of the matter is, even in Nazi Germany Jehovah’s Witnesses kept zealously preaching in spite of the persecution brought upon them.

Also, the prophecy states that the king fierce in countenance will bring many to ruin “during a freedom of care.” So, again, how exactly were the holy ones brought to ruin by the Anglo-American powers when the Society fared quite well during that dark time? And is it reasonable to believe that the period of the Great Depression and World War Two fits the prophecy's description of a carefree time?

Another perplexing contradiction is this: The Pay Attention book states that the time for the dashing of the power of the holy ones expired in 1918, but if that is true, how could the holy ones be brought to ruin again after the time God allowed for the power of holy ones to be dashed?

__________________________________________________________

Question #17: Jesus forewarned his followers to stay awake and be ready because the master is coming as a thief in the night, at a time they do not think to be it. According to Jesus, when the master of the house unexpectedly arrives he will appoint the faithful slave over all of his belongings and punish the evil slave with the greatest severity. If this took place in 1918, as the Watchtower teaches, why must Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to stay on the watch for the master’s thief-like arrival?  What is the biblical basis for the Watchtower to imply that Christ comes as a thief in the night on more than one occasion?

___________________________________________________________

Question #18: In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins the bridegroom comes while the foolish virgins are off purchasing oil for their flickering lamps and the door to the marriage feast is closed to them. The Watchtower asserts that the bridegroom came in 1919 and the wise virgins were allowed entry before the door was locked. Since virtually every anointed Christian living now was anointed after the door was apparently closed, are we to expect the bridegroom to reopen the door at some future time in order to allow the rest of the faithful virgins into the feast who have been locked out?

_____________________________________________________

Question #19: The 9^th chapter of Revelation depicts symbolic locusts, which torment men who do not have the seal of God. The Watchtower teaches that the clergy are those without the mark and that the locusts have been stinging them for decades. But since the final sealing occurs during the tribulation, after the mountains crash and the heavens go into eclipse, is it not unreasonable to suppose that the stinging of those without the seal occurs before the sealing is concluded?

Also, Revelation 9:6 states that those who are tormented by the locusts will seek death and it eludes them; but what proof is there that the message of the Watchtower has driven the clergy to want to kill themselves? If Jehovah’s Witnesses were to emphasize this obscure aspect of the Watchtower’s interpretation of Revelation in the field ministry, wouldn’t householders justifiably question their soundness of mind?

______________________________________________________

Question #20: Since the 1930’s the Watchtower has taught that the locust and other insect invaders of the prophecy of Joel represent Jehovah’s Witnesses, while the priests who are distressed by the invasion and who are told to call upon the name of Jehovah for aid are the clergy. Is it even sensible to teach that the message of the Watchtower has caused the clergy to howl in misery and beseech God for relief from the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Also, does not the prophecy of Joel indicate that God answers the prayers of those who are plagued by the pests and drives the invaders into the sea? That being the case, are we to expect God to destroy Jehovah’s Witnesses in answer to the prayers of the clergy?

____________________________________________________________

Question #21: In the Revelation Grand Climax book in the chapter entitled Earthquakes in the Lord’s Day, it states: “Consider what John describes at the opening of the sixth seal: ‘And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred.’ This must fall within the same time frame as the opening of the other seals. Just when in the Lord’s day does this earthquake occur, and what kind of quake is it?”

The opening of the sixth seal describes a unique and horrifying development involving the luminaries of the heavens going dark and all the mountains crashing down. Jehovah’s Witnesses understand this symbolism to apply to the coming tribulation. Christ also spoke of similar phenomenon that would occur during the tribulation. But while the Grand Climax book rightly interprets the opening of the sixth seal to the great tribulation, it contradictorily states that the sixth seal has already been unsealed and that the world wars were merely preliminary tremors preceding the big one. But since the end of World War Two the world has enjoyed a prolonged period of relative peace and prosperity. That being the case, is it really a straightforward interpretation to suppose that an initial period of upheaval gives way to a prolonged period of stability after the sixth seal is opened?  And is it reasonable that a century or more passes from the time the seal is broken until the events depicted therein actually transpire?

Since the world-shaking tribulation has not begun, why ought Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to believe and teach that the sixth seal is already opened? Is the reason the Watchtower concocted the notion of a preliminary quaking a ploy to allow the Society to continue to assert the previous seals have already been opened?

__________________________________________________________

Question #22: The 13^th chapter of Revelation depicts one head of the seven-headed beast receiving a death-dealing blow, only to revive. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the head of the beast is the Anglo-American power and that the beast received the mortal blow during the First World War. But how can that be reconciled with the fact that Great Britain and America were victorious?

The Bible’s symbolism of the head of the beast being slaughtered must surely depict the ruling powers ceasing to function for a time – even suffering a collapse. Yet, neither the United States nor Britain experienced anything even remotely close to instability. True, hundreds of thousand of men lost their lives in senseless slaughter, but that did not bring down the governments or lead to anarchy or economic collapse. Besides, America lost far more men and came closer to collapse during the Civil war than WWI. The facts of history simply do not justify the Watchtower’s interpretation. Isn’t it apparent that the beast has not been slaughtered yet?

______________________________________________________________

Question #23: The Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy book claims that the prophecy in the seventh chapter of Daniel, regarding the three horns of the beast that are plucked out, took place long ago over a span of more than two centuries, beginning with the British defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and culminating with the defeat of the French navy at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The three horns supposedly represent Spain, the Netherlands and France. Since the horns represent ruling powers associated with the Roman beast, their being plucked out must signify that the horns cease from ruling any longer. But even though the Spanish, French and Dutch all lost decisive naval battles to the British they did not cease from being political and military powers. In fact, France has been a key ally of Great Britain since the First World War and is even a nuclear power today.

 In view of the financial crisis rocking the nations of the Eurozone and threatening to bring down entire nations in ruin, isn’t it more reasonable to conclude that the three horns have not been plucked out yet?

_______________________________________________________________

Question #24: In recent decades the Society has retracted previously published statements concerning various aspects of the sign of Christ’s presence supposedly having already been fulfilled. For example, the Watchtower used to teach that the great tribulation began during WWI but that God cut it short. The Watchtower used to teach that the disgusting thing was already standing in a holy place, but no longer. The Watchtower used to teach that the sheep and the goats were being separated, but not any more. The Watchtower used to teach that people today were faint with fear in expectation of the horrible things coming upon the world, but that has been dropped too.

It was in the context of men becoming faith with fright that Jesus also told his followers: “But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.” Since the Watchtower now recognizes that not all of “these things” have started to occur, on what basis ought Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to believe their deliverance is getting near?

___________________________________________________________

Question #25: The May 15^th, 1977, Watchtower carries an article on the meaning of the Egyptian cedar that was cut down by the tyrants of the nations. The article asks the question: Who will be Jehovah’s instrument that will do the work of the depots and tyrants of the nations? The article points out that it will not be Jehovah’s Witnesses since they are not despotic or tyrannical. It will be none other than Jesus Christ. But how is it that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not despotic or tyrannical, but Jesus Christ is?

____________________________________________________________

Question #26: Both the 11^th and 17^th chapters of Revelation refer to a beast from the abyss. However, the Watchtower teaches that they are two different beasts that come out of two different sorts of abysses on separate occasions. Since the Scriptures also use the word abyss in reference to the literal seas covering the earth the Watchtower asserts that the abyss in the 11^th chapter is the symbolic sea, which would seem to harmonize with the 13^th chapter of Revelation that describes the seven-headed beast coming up out of the sea.

But is it not a case of resorting to a private interpretation of prophecy in arbitrarily assigning a different meaning to one usage of the word abyss? The Watchtower even explains that the word abyss in prophecy is used to denote a state of inactivity. So, if the beast in the 11^th chapter comes from the abyss, in what way was it inactive prior to its emergence from the abyss? Is it not rather the case that the Watchtower was compelled to come up with an artificial interpretation in order to buttress the notion that the two witnesses were killed back in 1918?

______________________________________________________________________

Question #27: Revelation 17:12 states: “And the ten horns that you saw mean ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they do receive authority as kings one hour with the wild beast.”

The Grand Climax book asserts that the ten kings have already received authority to rule as kings for one hour. When was that exactly? Was it when the League of Nations was formed? That does not seem likely since 10 stands for earthly completeness, meaning all the kings of the earth are given a measure of authority. But the League only had 58 member nations and the mighty USA was not even a member and it had no real power anyway. Did the ten kings receive a kingdom in 1945, when the UN was created? If so that would mean that the symbolic one hour has lasted more than 65 years. How reasonable is that? But again, what ruling authority does the United Nations have?

If Bible symbolism is to convey anything shouldn’t it at least be reasonable? Elsewhere in prophecy the slaughtered beast from the abyss is allotted 42 months. Isn’t it more sensible that the one-hour corresponds with the 1,260 days/42 months/time, times and half a time prophetic period? And since by the Watchtower’s own admission, Bible prophecy cannot be understood until it is fulfilled, ought not Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the likelihood that the one-hour has not arrived yet?

________________________________________________________

Question #28:

Haggai 2:6 & 7 states: “For this is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘Yet once—it is a little while—and I am rocking the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry ground. And I will rock all the nations, and the desirable things of all the nations must come in…”

The Watchtower has long taught that Jehovah began to rock the nations in 1914 and the rocking has supposedly continued now for nearly a century. But the apostle Paul quoted this very same verse of Haggai and explained: “Now the expression ‘Yet once more’ signifies the removal of the things being shaken as things that have been made, in order that the things not being shaken may remain.”

According to the inspired apostle, the shaking “signifies the removal of the things being shaken.” Yet, God has presumably been shaking the world for 100 years and still the world has not been removed. Is it not more reasonable to conclude that the great tribulation is the time when God will rock all the nations? After all, did not Jesus say the chosen ones would be gathered from the four winds when God cuts short the world-wrecking tribulation? Since all prophecy is harmonious, and even the Watchtower now recognizes that the sheep and the goats have not been separated yet, is not that also when the desirable things are gathered too? That being so, would it be wrong to conclude that there remains a great gathering that is outside the scope of the worldwide work in which Jehovah's Witnesses are presently engaged?

___________________________________________________________

Question #29: The Watchtower is on record in many places stating that the great tribulation commences when Babylon the great is destroyed. Usually the Society simply cites verses in the 17^th or 18^th chapter of Revelation to substantiate that teaching. Yet, there is nothing in either of those chapters that can be used to support that notion. At times the Watchtower links the standing of the disgusting thing in a holy place to the destruction of Christendom, but as all of Jehovah’s Witnesses know, Babylon the great encompasses much more than merely Christendom.

Because this is one of the few aspects of prophecy that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe has not occurred, what exactly is the Scriptural basis for the belief that the great tribulation begins with the destruction of Babylon the great?

______________________________________________________________

Question #30: The Watchtower Society used to keep close watch on world events, as a watchman is supposed to. For example, back in the years leading up to 1914 the Watchtower kept its readers informed as to developments in Europe. The same was true in the run-up to the Second World War. In fact, the Society rightly alterted its readers to the danger that the US was going to be subverted into a fascist state, like Germany. All during the Cold War the Watchtower tried to keep the public aware of the perilous situation. Now though, with the entire global financial system facing imminent disintegration, with leaders openly warning of the possibility of a nuclear world war three, with national food banks empty and entire nations faced with crippling austerity and the possibility of collapse into anarchy, martial law and tyranny, the Watchtower has seemingly gone mute.

Is this because the Society feels it has already said it all, or is it because Bethel sees no real significance in these critical developments?

Watchtower in Trouble DownUnder

Some months back I received an email from a fellow in Australian associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses, one Steven Unthank, purported to be a legal paper indicting the Governing Body for having instructed Jehovah’s Witnesses elders in Australia to ignore a new law that requires all persons, including clergy, who work in close proximity to children to register with the state. Because I get a lot of crazy stuff from crackpots I didn’t take it seriously at the time. Evidently, though, for a few years the elders operated in violation of the law. When the matter came to attention of the state the Watchtower hastily instructed the elders to comply. Now, though, there is an ongoing criminal prosecution.

Here is where it gets interesting: Being thoroughly familiar with the Watchtower Society’s teaching, Unthank filed charges against the entity Jehovah’s Witnesses know as “the faithful and discreet slave.”

The Watchtower’s legal team, however, are arguing that there is no such thing as the faithful and discreet slave – that it is merely some abstract theological arrangement.

As for the reason I am publishing this on the Back Page of the Watchman’s Post, for some years now I have been presenting evidence to the public that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses has become apostate and for that reason it is Jehovah’s intention to destroy the organization. I have not only presented the evidence of their hypocrisy and deceptions, but also situated this development in the framework of Bible prophecy. The situation in Australia is just more details proving that the leadership of the organization is ripe with ferment.

Of course, loyal Jehovah’s Witnesses will never accept this witness. That is why Jehovah has allowed for the world to be plunged into chaos – in order to get everyone’s attention before his judgments are unveiled.

Anyway, here is another email I received the other day that is apparently circulating among the XJW crowd. It is apparently the personal observation of someone who attended one of the court sessions.

_____________________________________________________

Victoria, Australia: Report on Oct. 11th hearing involving Steven Unthank 

(This report is from an anonymous XJW who attended the hearing.) 

I had no plans to turn up to the court hearing as an observer, as in my experience, it can take several hearings and a number of months before any court case gets rolling. This usually involves a transfer to the County Court or the Supreme Court for a trial unless the defendant pleads "guilty." 

Everything changed upon learning that the Watchtower Society (WTS) had instructed elders and others in the congregations to comply with the working with children laws and to actually obtain their working with children cards. Getting the WTS to comply with the laws after three years of refusing to comply was quite an achievement for Steven Unthank. With this development who would not want to sit in on the next court hearing and witness the defense tactics the WTS and their legal team launched to get themselves out of the potential crisis they got themselves into.

 And launch they did. In a short space of 90 minutes, the WTS completely destroyed the entire fabric and structure of the faith of some 7 million Jehovah's Witnesses for nothing more than self-preservation. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your view, most Jehovah's Witnesses will never find out.

 Before compiling this report I took the opportunity to read through Steven Unthank's web site www.jwnews.net for the purpose of clarifying a few case point overviews and I recommend this to others. For anyone interested in court numbers and proof of court hearings, the Daily Court Listings can be found on the Magistrates' Court of Victoria web site for November 8th.

 https://dailylists.magistratesvic.com.au/browse-court-lists/court-itinery-list.aspx?id=97&type=Criminal&date=08/11/2011

My opinions and observations

The best way to comprehend what is going on, from a courtroom perspective, is that the court hearings at the moment are administrative, which in very simplistic terms means 'the shuffling of paperwork' and 'the jostling for position' along with some short case arguments or presentations to the magistrate.

During the court hearing on October 11^th, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of Public Prosecutions (referred to as the Crown) indicated to the court that they intend to take over all five cases. As to why they have not done so previously is anyone's guess. In my opinion I would not be surprised if all five cases have been sort of co-prosecuted and case managed by the Crown and by Steven Unthank working together in a de facto relationship, with Steven Unthank acting in the capacity as acting prosecutor and the Crown as legal adviser. Such an arrangement would be advantageous to the overall prosecution of the cases for two very specific reasons:

1. Steven Unthank would not have a working knowledge of the criminal justice system; and
2. the Crown would not have a working knowledge of the WTS's corporate religious system and its relationship to Jehovah's Witnesses and each of the defendants.

Many of us, including myself, may have greatly underestimated Steven Unthank's ability or understanding of the court process, the structure of the WTS, its relationship with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and what was needed to launch a criminal prosecution. It has been a long running joke about having the "faithful and discreet slave" charged. But consider this. Everything that happens within the WTS and within the Jehovah's Witnesses is attributed to the entity and class of individuals known within the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as the "faithful and discreet slave."

According to the Watchtower teachings, the authority of the elder arrangement, their governing body, the branch committees, and also the authority of the lawyers within the congregation and organization, comes from the "faithful and discreet slave." If these elders, governing body members, branch committee members, and lawyers made a mistake over the Working with Children laws then the fault may also lie with the person or legal entity that employs their services, be they corporate services, legal services or religious services. For a criminal trial this has to be explored by the prosecution.

The charging of the "faithful and discreet slave" as a religious body now has the ability to publicly expose the quasi-legal religious relationship they have with the WTS and its legal department. The WTS would no doubt never want this to be publicly exposed and therefore must take action to keep this hidden from scrutiny at all costs. It is irrelevant as to whether any observers believe in the "faithful and discreet slave" or not. It is real to Jehovah's Witnesses and is the entire religious heart of their belief structure.

To understand the court arguments we first need to establish whether the "faithful and discreet slave" exists under Victorian law.

"Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?"

What we do know is that the "faithful and discreet slave" (FDS) have been criminally charged and are being prosecuted as "corporate accused." We also know that there are seven charges on their "Charge-Sheet and Summons (Corporate Accused)" in relation to the Working with Children Act 2005. We do not know what the charges are as these have not yet been read out in court. This will happen in time, but until then it is anyone's guess. In all reality the charge wordings are irrelevant.

Under Victorian law a "corporate accused" can legally be an incorporated entity (a registered company), an association, or an unincorporated body. The FDS is not an incorporated entity (a registered company) and is not an association (no articles of association) so therefore the charge sheet or sheets must list it as an "unincorporated body."

According to the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, as written in the book "Organized To Do Jehovah's Will" on page 16, the "faithful and discreet slave" are a "body" which Christ uses "to publish information on the fulfillment of Bible prophecies and to give timely direction on the application of Bible principles in daily life." Therefore, the FDS, by their own written admission, are a "body" of individual persons. As they are not incorporated this makes the FDS an unincorporated body similar to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Working with Children Act 2005 says that a person includes "an unincorporated body or association and a partnership." Therefore, the phrase "person" can also legally be applied to an unincorporated body. This then makes the "faithful and discreet slave" a legal entity under Victorian law, a "person" who operates as an unincorporated body.

The Working with Children Act says that "If this Act provides that a person, being an unincorporated body or an association or a partnership, is guilty of an offence, that reference to the person must--(a) in the case of an unincorporated body or association--be read as a reference to each member of the committee of management of the body or association who knew of, or knowingly authorized or permitted, the commission of the offence." 

To simplify, the Working with Children laws recognize unincorporated bodies as a legal entity by granting them legal status as a "person" under law. This was legislated so that there were no loopholes in the law that allowed or permitted anyone, or any group of people, religious or otherwise, from not complying with the Working with Children laws. In the event that a criminal offence is committed by the unincorporated body then the offence is deemed to have been committed by each member of the committee of management of the body.

This understanding is important in that it shows that the FDS have been granted legal recognition under Victorian law as a body that does indeed exist as a legal entity. Why is this important?

During the court hearing on October 11, legal counsel for the Watchtower Society, Rachel van Witsen, from Vincent Toole Solicitors (the WTS's in-house law firm located inside Bethel, Australia) made a statement on behalf of the Watchtower Society that:

"The faithful and discreet slave is not a legal entity."

Vincent Toole Solicitors then went on to present arguments that the "faithful and discreet slave" do not exist as a "person" nor do they exist as an "unincorporated body" and nor do they exist as a "body" of Christians.

Literally Vincent Toole Solicitors were arguing that the "faithful and discreet slave" should be struck off the charge list because they simply do not exist. In one broad sweeping statement the Watchtower Society and their in-house legal team completely destroyed the entire fabric and structure of the faith of some 7 million Jehovah's Witnesses. What next happened goes beyond the wildest imaginings that any Jehovah's Witness could ever believe was possible.

Steven Unthank stood up, looked around the courtroom, and then actually defended the "faithful and discreet slave" and the beliefs and doctrinal teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. No one else came to the defense of the FDS. Steven Unthank, as the current acting prosecutor, was the only person who defended them. Unthank then presented argument that the FDS was real and was that body of Jehovah's Witness Christians that had religious responsibility over the entire Christian congregation.

The Watchtower Society and Vincent Toole Solicitors then presented rebuttal argument that the "faithful and discreet slave" did not exist but were nothing more than a:

"Theological arrangement"

A massive gasp could be heard emanating from the gallery from amongst a group of Jehovah's Witnesses who had attended to watch the hearing. It is worth noting that Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that to deny the "faithful and discreet slave" is to deny the Christ and that those who deny the Christ are the antichrist.

The Watchtower Society and Vincent Toole Solicitors then turned on the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and denied that they existed or operated within Victoria and Australia. The magistrate did not accept this argument and, after seeking approval from Steven Unthank, adjourned all the court hearings for four weeks.

Simply put, the Watchtower Society and Vincent Toole Solicitors denied the existence of the "faithful and discreet slave" and denied the existence of the Christian congregation arrangement. What is also interesting in the entire court case to date is that it was the Watchtower Society and their in-house lawyers that brought theology and religion into the court room.

It is possible that sometime in the future there could be a very serious courtroom hearing in which the whole existence of the "faithful and discreet slave" is argued but not in the way any Jehovah's Witness could imagine. Unless the WTS backs down, or the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses step in and defend their faith, then we could see Steven Unthank actually defending the existence of the FDS and the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses in open public court while the WTS and their lawyers, with the backing of the Governing Body, deny the existence of the FDS and maybe even the Christian congregation. And if such a courtroom drama ever unfolds, then at any given time Steven Unthank could back down and the FDS become no more than a never existing group of imaginary Christians who are really nothing more than a convenient "theological arrangement" whom Jehovah's Witnesses mistakenly believe exist and are their spiritual leaders who care about them.

The only party not represented was the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is logical from a self-preserving religious point of view, as to defend the charges would be to acknowledge each single charge as being a "valid charge of improper conduct." This would then disqualify each member from being an elder until the case was sorted out. This failure on the part of the Governing Body to appear or to be represented was noticed by the Magistrate who took the unusual step of suggesting and recommending to Steven Unthank that criminal charges be brought against every single member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses as opposed to the unincorporated body known as the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. The only thing that may actually prevent this from really happening is that Steven Unthank lacks the financial resources. Good thing the Crown stated in court its intention to take over the prosecution.

Is World War Three a Possibility?

Here is what the Watchtower Society's Reasoning from the Scriptures (1989) ministers' handbook states under the heading of The Last Days on the question of whether it is possible that the sign of Christ's presence and the conclusion of the system of things could display itself in the future.

‘How do you know that some future generation won’t fit the prophecy even better than this one?’

You might reply: ‘That’s an interesting question, and the answer highlights the fact that we really are living in “the last days.” How? Well, part of the sign given by Jesus involves war between nations and kingdoms. But what would happen today if fulfillment of the sign required that we wait until another all-out war were to break out between the superpowers? Such a war would leave few if any survivors. So, you see, God’s purpose that there be survivors indicates that we are now very close to the end of this old system.’

Is the Watchtower's reasoning sound? No. But in all fairness in 1989, when the Reasoning book was originally published, the Cold War was still on and the primary reason the so-called Cold War did not become a hot war is because of the realization of the military doctrine of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). The Soviet and America superpowers recognized that the use of high-yield nuclear weapons by either side would result in the annihilation of the world. So, in that respect the Watchtower’s viewpoint is correct.

However, the world has changed since 1989. Shortly after the Reasoning book was published the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved. After its defeat in Afghanistan and in the decades since the USSR collapsed, privateers have looted Russia and its military capability significantly diminished. Although still possessing enough weaponry to destroy the world Russia is no longer considered a superpower. However, the United States is. And since the end of the Cold War the US has developed its military power far beyond that of its rival.  For example, the radar evading stealth bomber is a relatively recent invention. Also, the development of tactical nuclear devices, so-called mini-nukes, greatly increase the likelihood of their use, since they can be used to destroy fleets of ships, airfields and armies in the field without significant collateral damage. The US even has weapons deployed in outer space (Rods from God).

Since 9-11 the US has for the first time adopted a first strike preemptive warfare policy, which in recent years has been expanded to include a nuclear strike. Although unthinkable to common persons it is an actual war scenario to launch a surprise attack using mini-nukes to take out the nuclear capability of both Russia and China. Presently, though, the most immediate threat of war is an attack on Iran and possibly Pakistan, which would in all likelihood detonate World War Three and give the Anglo-American superpower the pretext to launch wars against Russia and China, especially before China becomes a military superpower in the near future.

Thinking out loud here:

In the book of Acts the holy spirit was used to prevent Paul from entering Asia (modern Turkey) and instead he was directed to preach in Macedonia. The propagation of Christianity within the heart of the Roman Empire has had far reaching consequences; resulting in Christianity being largely connected to European civilization (and the Americas by extention), while the Middle East and Asia have largely been unaffected.  Even the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses in modern times has made very little progress in the Middle East and Central Asia.

As it stands presently, the Anglo-American beast is working feverishly to blow up the Middle East and South Asia and create chaos and instability around Russia and China, in what has been dubbed by military policy makers as the Arc of Crisis. It is becoming increasingly more likely by the day that nuclear weapons will be deployed against Iran and Pakistan. The Middle East and Asia certainly appear to be ground zero for the unthinkable. Perhaps it has been divine providence that has kept Jehovah's Witnesses out of this part of the world in modern times.

According to Revelation the ride of the four horsemen will result in one-quarter of the world being laid low in Hades. The first two world wars, food shortages and Spanish Flu pandemic did not even come close to killing a quarter of the population. (A Closer Look at 1914)

However, it is a very real possibility that the inevitable war now looming on the horizon will kill billions. At least that is the intent of the Anglo-American beast now stalking the world.

The Watchtower's Apostasy Revisited

This October the 8^th will mark ten years since the London Guardian exposed the Watchtower’s secret 10-year political partnership with the United Nations as an associate level NGO. The day after the article appeared the Watchtower hastily withdrew its membership from the UN’s Department of Public Information.

(The details of the Watch Tower Society’s affiliation with the United Nations are presented in Strange Bedfellows – including the attached document on the footer)

The timing of the expose seems to have worked in Bethel’s favor – coming less than a month after the terror attacks of 9-11. Had the news media not been caught up in the drama of that attack it is quite likely that the story would have had far greater news coverage, and perhaps even a UN inquiry into the matter.

For the uninformed, NGO affiliation with the UN requires members to use a portion of their resources to inform the public about the UN’s activities. In other words, NGOs are required to propagandize in behalf of the United Nations, which the Society undeniably did – hoodwinking trusting publishers and pioneers into distributing millions of Watchtower and Awake! magazines with occasional articles cleverly written to comply with the terms of the Watchtower’s partnership with the UN. By the Watchtower’s own condemnation of Christendom for its political involvement, particularly in support of the UN and the League of Nations, Bethel is guilty of apostasy.

The significance of the Society’s brazen apostasy and lying cover-up is that according to Paul an apostasy is to occur as an immediate prelude to the presence of Christ and the day of Jehovah. Christendom has been apostate for centuries, so it is meaningless to suppose the apostasy that must come first precedes the Parousia by hundreds of years.

The apostasy is a direct result of the influence of an entity called the man of lawlessness. According to the apostle, the man of lawlessness sits down in the temple of The God. In other words, he would preside over Christ’s congregation. (See article: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Man of Lawlessness)

According to Paul, besides fomenting an apostasy, the man of lawlessness also promotes a fake parousia. But how did a man of lawlessness come to be within the Watchtower Society and how could he convince anyone that Christ has already returned?

From the very beginning there was evidence of a masonic influence over the Bible Students. The Watchtower Magazine used to sport the masonic emblem of the cross and crown. And as is well known, a few feet from Charles Russell’s gravesite is a massive pyramid on which is engraved the exact same style cross and crown that appeared on the cover of the Watchtower for over 40 years. Russell’s fascination with Egyptian pyramids and their supposed prophetic value was originally the basis for the Bible Students anticipation of 1914. As is evident with the esoteric icon on the Federal Reserve Note, Egyptian pyramids are a prominent symbol in the occult and Freemasonry. Interestingly, Tim LaHaye, of Left Behind fame, has employed the Watchtower’s old masonic cross and crown on his work.

Prior to 1914 another secret society composed of Serbian nationalists, called the Black Hand, was organized and three of their number were eventually trained as assassins – tasked with killing Arch Duke, Francis Ferdinand, the presumptive heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne, as his royal motorcade passed in procession in Sarajevo, on June 28^th 1914. One of them succeeded, which proved to be the spark that ignited the First World War.

But the assassination of a single prince would have never detonated a world war had the nations of Europe not been enmeshed in various alliances that required them to defend other nations and kingdoms if they were attacked. Although he died in 1910, in the decade leading up to that conflagration Britain’s King Edward VII saw to it that the geo-political chessboard was set in order for the Great War. Edward VII also happened to be the most prominent member of the United Grand Lodge of English Freemasonry – not to mention the head of the Church of England.

So, on the one hand there is the telltale evidence that 1914 was hatched by Freemasonry, based upon deciphering the arcane dimensions of hidden passageways in Egyptian monuments to their dead kings. Once the Bible Students bought into 1914 the Freemason King of England set things into motion to begin the Great War. And, then, shortly before 1914 members of the Black Hand were hired to kill the man whose death would set it all off.

And voila! The invisible parousia has begun! (*wink*)

Of course, it has taken constant maintenance for the Watchtower to keep the whole thing from unraveling, but for the most part, ever since that fateful shot was fired millions of people associated with the Watchtower have been convinced that 1914 was the beginning of the presence and the day of Jehovah.

Without question, secret societies are one of the means by which Satan infiltrates and subverts institutions in his efforts to control the world, with the primary intent of misleading the chosen ones during the actual conclusion of the system of things.

As Paul foretold, “the lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception…”

What gives you the right to correct the WT?

The Back Page is reserved for commentary and afterthoughts and whatever else. This entry was originally a response to a reader's question that appeared in the June, 2003, e-Watchman Mailbag. For other Mailbag questions click here.

What gives you the right and by whose authority do you set yourself up as the corrector of Jehovah’s organization? I cannot help but feel you are bloated with self importance and self delusion, being one of those the scriptures warn about who carry off men with their words. Remember the account of the person who told David that he had really put Saul - the anointed of Jehovah - to death and the reward he got for his trouble - death by the sword. Pride and fall come to my mind and we all know that Jehovah opposes the haughty one. It seems to me that you have set yourself up over the organization, sniffing at Jehovah's table and saying that what you provide is the real meat in due season. If I am wrong, answer please in your questions section. I doubt you will though as you prefer the darkness, as the scriptures say.

---

When Charles Russell was a teenager he used to write Bible verses on the sidewalk with a piece of chalk in the hope of giving some passerby a precious morsel of food for thought. In regards to the blasphemous teaching of hellfire that was very prominent back then, Russell once said that if there is such a horrible place of scorching eternal damnation, then that truth needed to be heralded from the rooftops, but if it was a false doctrine, then the foul stain upon God's good name needed to be removed. And, of course, C.T. Russell devoted his life to trying to do just that.

J.F. Rutherford, the 2nd President of the Watchtower Society, possessed a similar zeal for the truth. While he was in prison in 1918, he once said that if Jehovah saw fit to get him out of there that he would 'take the dagger of truth and rip the guts out of the old whore of Babylon.' He certainly did his level best to make good on that promise.

Personally, I greatly admire the fearless quality that moved those men to stand up for the truth, as they knew it. Many, many people have likewise been drawn to the Watchtower Society because of having a love of the truth and a desire to associate with others who display such burning zeal for the truth.

In the opening pages of the Live Forever book there is a picture of a man giving directions to a lost driver. The man outside the car is pointing back in the direction that the driver had just come from. The Watchtower uses that to illustrate that if we find out that we are going the wrong way then we need to have the good sense and humility to turn around and get back on track.

Well, what about the Watchtower organization itself? What happens if the organization runs amok and gets lost? Isn't it the duty of those with insight to try and steer things straight? Not that any mortal might succeed in doing so, especially in view of Isaiah 51:18, which speaks to God's fallen organization, saying: "There was none of all the sons that she brought to birth conducting her, and there was none of all the sons that she brought up taking hold of her hand."

But, where is our love of truth, now, when confronted with obvious error? Or do we imagine that the Watchtower is above counsel? If so, then we have placed that institution above the truth of God.

It is of interest that Jehovah uses an illustration at Isaiah 30:20-21 that is similar to that found in the Live Forever book — except it is directed to God's organization. It reads: "And Jehovah will certainly give you people bread in the form of distress and water in the form of oppression; yet your Grand Instructor will no longer hide himself, and your eyes must become eyes seeing your Grand Instructor. And your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: 'This is the way. Walk in it, you people," in case you should go to the right or in case you should go to the left."

The Watchtower recently answered a question from one of its readers regarding that very verse. The Watchtower's commentary was that we individually hear Jehovah's voice, as if emanating from behind us, in the sense that the Bible was written centuries ago in the distant past, so that it is as if God's Word speaks from behind us. While that may be true, that is obviously not what the prophecy is talking about.

The above-quoted verse says that our "Grand Instructor will no longer hide himself." Since we have always had the Bible at our disposal, how is it that Jehovah has hidden himself from us? Since Isaiah says elsewhere that God has covered the heads of his own visionaries and prophets, it is apparent that God has hidden himself from his own otherwise enlightened servants—allowing them to go astray into an operation of error. Furthermore, if Jehovah is to reveal himself in an extraordinary way so as to fully enlighten his servants, would not that logically take place during the ultimate revelation - at the unveiling of Christ Jesus in glory?

Really, the 30th chapter of Isaiah has to do with Jehovah's judgments upon his people as a prelude to the end of this world and the beginning of the new one. Clearly, according to that context, Jehovah has not put his people on a bread-and-water ration of distress and oppression. That being the case, then, neither has God spoken as if from behind —indicating that Jehovah’s Witnesses are presently going the wrong way and must in the near-future make an abrupt about-face at the rebuke of the Grand Instructor.

You asked the question: "What gives you the right and by whose authority do you set yourself up as the corrector of Jehovah's organization?" Questions that are even more pertinent and far-reaching are: What gives the Watchtower the right to become politically aligned with the United Nations as an NGO and to use the unwitting volunteer services of millions of Jehovah's Witnesses to disseminate subtle, globalist propaganda through the Awake magazine?

Also, by whose authority does the Watchtower surreptitiously appropriate untold sums of funds donated to the "kingdom preaching work" in order to pay out-of-court settlements to abuse victims - binding them with hush-money and legal gag orders to prevent the details of these secret deals from being made public? Do Jehovah's Witnesses deserve to know the truth about the Watchtower's unseemly affairs, especially when their donations are being used that way?

What right does the Watchtower have to deceive Jehovah’s trusting sheep with their artfully contrived false stories regarding the supposed invisible return of Christ in 1914 and that God has long ago set matters straight with his erring people?

More importantly, who has the right to prevent Jehovah's Witnesses from knowing why God has issues with his people? What man or organization has the legal authority or power to gag Jehovah himself? Again, where is the love of truth and zeal for righteousness?

The truth is that Jehovah has never had an organization that has not gone astray and become corrupt. Nearly all of the prophetic books of the Bible were written to reprove and correct the apostate Jewish nation. And those very same prophecies apply in many ways to spiritual Israel during the time of Jehovah's final judgment upon the organization that Jesus founded.

As for who gave anyone authority to rebuke God's people, have you never read what Jehovah says at Isaiah 58:1, which reads: "Call out full-throated; do not hold back. Raise your voice just like a horn, and tell my people their revolt, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day it was I whom they kept seeking, and it was in the knowledge of my ways that they would express delight, like a nation that carried on righteousness itself and that had not left the very justice of their God…"

The above verse certainly describes Jehovah's Witnesses, in that Jehovah’s Witnesses seek knowledge of Jehovah and as an organization Jehovah’s Witnesses have been zealous to do things God's way - up to a point. That's why what is occurring in the organization, and no doubt what is yet to occur, is so tragic.

While the Watchtower has described itself and all of Jehovah's Witnesses as watchmen, the reality is that in Bible times Jehovah only raised up a few select individuals whom he used as watchmen to the entire nation of his people. Many of them were even reluctant to take up their assignments; but their fear of Jehovah was greater than their fear of man and so they were impelled to go against the popular current of the day.

The 9th chapter of Hosea contains an obscure prophesy that seems to speak precisely to my position today. Hosea 9:7-9 says: "The days of being given attention must come; the days of the due payment must come. Those of Israel will know it. The prophet will be foolish, the man of inspired expressions will be maddened on account of the abundance of your error, even animosity being abundant. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God. As regards a prophet, there is the trap of a birdcatcher on all his ways; there is animosity in the house of his God. They have gone deep in bringing ruin, as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their error; he will give attention to their sins."

The sin of Gibeah had to do with the shocking sex crime and cover-up that took place during the time of the judges. It well describes the perverse way in which the Watchtower has suppressed justice for the many thousands of Jehovah's little ones who have been raped and abused by those who called themselves Jehovah's Witnesses.

The prophecy of Hosea says that "there is animosity in the house of God" because of abundant error.

Since the time of Christ, the house of God has reference to the grouping of all the anointed. And, for a fact, the apostle Peter assures us that Jehovah's judgment starts first with the house of God and then proceeds in the judgment of the rest of mankind. (1 Peter 4:17) Not coincidently, in Hebrew the name bethel literally means "the house of God," which, of course, modern Bethel is the nucleus of not only God's anointed household today, but the entire organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as well.

Strangely, though, the Watchtower teaches that the judgment upon the house of God took place long ago, back in 1919.  That is simply bizarre in view of the fact that virtually none of Jehovah's Witnesses today were adults back then. Also, considering all the errors, stumbling blocks and problems afflicting God's people today, how comforting or reasonable is it that Jehovah set things straight among a now-deceased generation?

Furthermore, if we are facing God's judgment, isn't it irresponsible of the Watchtower to lull Jehovah's Witnesses with the fiction that the judgment has long since taken place?

Even as Hosea charges, who of us can honestly deny that the error of the house of God is abundant today? For that reason, there is animosity and resentment among the servants in the house of God; which house is inhabited presently by two classes of individuals, who will ultimately be judged by Christ as either faithful or wicked slaves.

Hosea also describes that the abundant error in God's household will drive his prophet into behaving foolishly. But the prophet's madness is not the result of his not knowing the word of his God. The prophecy says that the error of the household is what causes his madness. The prophet is in fact called "the man of inspired expression," indicating that he has insight into Jehovah's inspired word; and as the next verse says, the watchman over God's house is really with Jehovah God. That does not bode well for those who suppose that they will never be brought to account before God.

From the standpoint of the Watchtower, it is sheer foolishness and apostate madness for any of Jehovah's Witnesses to presume to know more about Jehovah's judgments than the organizational master that taught him. Still, the truth is the truth.

Since the Watchtower has nullified (for the time being anyway) Jehovah's judicial decisions against his household by either applying them to 1919, or redirecting such condemnatory judgments to Christendom, or has simply ignored them, the man who would dare to publicly direct Jehovah's ancient inspired expressions and prophecies against the Watchtower must face a congregation tribunal if found out. Thus, the Watchtower employs the local brothers as birdcatchers in order to try and cage any one of Jehovah's Witnesses who would dare to publish God's word against it with authority.

At any rate, that prophecy indicates that not all is well in God's household on the eve of his calling his people to account, and that there are those who are faithful watchmen; who announce Jehovah's coming judgment, even if it appears foolish in the eyes of others.

As for the accusation that I am merely "sniffing" at the spiritual food the Watchtower has placed on the table — that is true — and it must be said that it does not have a very appetizing aroma. The reason being is because, as Isaiah says, 'the priests and prophets have gone astray; they have gone astray in their seeing, they have reeled as to decision. For the tables themselves have become full of filthy vomit — there is no place without it."

A careful reading of Malachi, the prophecy to which you referred, is actually Jehovah's rebuke of his anointed priests who have gone astray and caused God's table to become "polluted." Malachi 1:13 charges the priests of God with causing a sniffing at God's table. Specifically, it reads: You have said, 'Look! What weariness!' and you have caused a sniffing at it," Jehovah of armies has said.

Notice, please, that God does not necessarily find fault with the individuals who have come to God's table but who find the advertised "spiritual banquet" unappetizing, and so merely sniff at the food placed on the table. God faults the priests who served the table, who evidently found it wearisome to change the recipe, and so served up a polluted table, which caused others to merely sniff at the unwholesome concoction of truth they served up.

Hopefully, a brief consideration of our present situation in relation to God's prophetic word may help you to reason things out for yourself in answer to your question: "What gives you the right and by whose authority do you set yourself up as the corrector of Jehovah's organization?"

THEN & NOW

 

For most people alive at this present moment in time the Great Depression is not part of our living memory, neither is the Second World War. Perhaps we may have heard our parents or grandparents speak of that bleak time, or we may only have read or heard about those dark days in books or documentaries. In any case, unfortunately the historical setting of the Great Depression and WWII is not appreciated or understood by the modern generation. But it was understood then that the real enemy of civilization were the monied powers associated with the British Empire - what Roosevelt called “the economic royalists.”   

I remember reading some older Watchtower publications from that era, and as I recall the Society loudly warned of the dangers of a fascist coup in the United States - something that seems to have been erased from our consciousness today. But the facts of history have not been expunged. The City of London and its Wall Street subsidiary sponsored the crash of 1929 with the intent of impoverishing the population and subverting the US back under control of the Crown. When Roosevelt came to power, though, he reversed the situation and slapped controls on the bankers - even throwing a number of them in jail. At that point a desperate plot was hatched to stage a coup and overthrow the US presidency. Obviously, it failed.  

During that turbulent time Jehovah’s Witnesses came under intense persecution from Catholic action groups and the American Legion, which, as the accompanying video shows, was set up by a Wall Street banker with the intent of using it as a battering ram against American institutions, much like the Tea Party today, being the hatchling of the Koch brothers. But back then the US judicial system functioned as intended and protected the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose online) 

 At the same time some of the very same financiers were supporting Mussolini in Italy and Adolph Hitler in Germany. For example, it is a matter of government record that Prescott Bush, an officer of Brown Brothers Harriman and the progenitor of two American presidents, arranged loans for the Hitler war machine, even after America entered the war. And, of course, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany were mercilessly persecuted by the Nazis from the very beginning.  

But apparently the Empire lost control of Hitler (that is one of the risks of supporting a lunatic) and when he began bombing London it became necessary to rely on the resurgent military might of America to crush the Nazis.  

After the war the United States emerged as the greatest nation on earth and in spite of the machinations of the Empire to pit the USSR against the USA in the phony Cold War, the world embarked on an era of relative peace and prosperity that has continued to the present - “relative” being the operative word.  

After the war the New World Society of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, as it then became called, launched a massive effort to publish the message to the farthest corners of the earth. The age of peace and prosperity in America and war-ravaged Western Europe, which was quickly rebuilt with American assistance, eventually produced millions of disciples, many of whom became full-time pioneers and missionaries. Others of Jehovah’s Witnesses contributed materially so that the Watchtower Society has now become a rather wealthy institution. With its growing wealth the Society in recent decades also embarked on a massive building campaign around the world, constructing dozens of branch offices, printing facilities, assembly halls, and kingdom halls by the thousands.

But all during this time the two diametrically opposed forces of the republic and the empire have remained in a more or less peaceful coexistence. Except now the “economic royalists” appear to have the upper hand. After having done away with many of the regulations imposed by Roosevelt, which throttled reckless speculation, the world has now arrived at a breaking point similar to the great crash of October 1929 that ushered in the Great Depression and eventually led to the Second World War. Except now the crash may be expected to be far, far worse. Now the stage is set for the take down of America and the leading nations of Europe. The question is, will the financiers succeed this time? The answer from prophecy is yes.  

Jehovah God has definitely used the Watchtower Society to gather truth-hungry persons into an association. And just as in past ages God used empires in behalf of his people, such as the Persian empire,  God has in this modern era allowed the American republic to flourish and export peace and prosperity in order to facilitate the accomplishment of this phase his work. At this stage of affairs, and even according to the Watchtower Society, Jehovah’s Witnesses appear to have accomplished the work they have set out to do.

Now what? 

The present relatively peaceful and benevolent system of government is going to be violently torn down. As depicted in Revelation, the once docile lamb is going to begin speaking as a dragon. In the immediate period ahead we can expect the entire global financial system to collapse; but before that occurs, this time the financiers are working to ensure that they take down the nations with them. This will undoubtedly mean that the constitutional protections that have allowed Jehovah’s Witnesses to thrive will shortly become a thing of the past. This  dynamic is already in motion, evidenced by the ongoing bankers' scheme to offload their own debts onto the backs of taxpayers, and in the process gutting the social programs that millions rely upon.

In short, the world is going to be taken over by a demonically driven tyrant. The scheme failed in the past, but this time Jehovah is going to allow it because it is closing time for the whole system of things. Now it is time for the judgment to begin.

On Survival Preparations

From Financial Armageddon

The Genocide Has Begun

Third world nations, so-called, have always been on the cusp of tragedy. Since the ongoing bailout of the British financial system has required more and more money to keep it from imploding, commodity prices have increased substantially. Coupled with the natural disaster of drought in East Africa, the worst in 60 years, approximately 12 million Somalis and other Africans face immediate starvation and disease. That is twice the number that were liquidated in Hitler's deathcamps. But, unfortunately, this is just the beginning. No doubt the dying beast will demand trillions and trillions of dollars more to stave off the inevitable, imposing viscious austerity upon all of the world's citizens. The book of Habakkuk, a vision yet for the appointed time, envisions the modern Chaldean catching all the nations in his net and dining upon them for his pleasure. It is in fact Jehovah's will that the world end in such an inglorious fashion.

Can You Help? Will You?

Dating back to a massive mail campaign in the Spring of 2004, when an eight page letter detailing the Watchtower Society’s secret partnership with the United Nations was sent to virtually every kingdom hall in the English-speaking world, I have endeavored to take the information on e-watchman out of the virtual world and into the real world.

Since 2004 several other less extensive campaigns have been waged. For example, after the first edition of Jehovah Himself Has Become King was published, copies were mailed directly to Governing Body members and department heads at Bethel.

Since that original mailing campaign, though, evidently Bethel’s response has been to subtly encourage congregations to remove their mailboxes. Evidently, now they are more and more using postal boxes or even the private mailboxes of elders for congregation mail. (See attached PDF below)

In view of the fact that more and more kingdom halls do not have on-site mailboxes I have not conducted a mailing for several years now. Still, I have the desire to reach out beyond the confines of the Internet with the message presented on e-watchman.com.

Thanks to innovations in desktop and self-publishing technology, it is now possible for anyone to publish books and brochures without a publisher. Besides self-publishing the two books, I have also produced a few 16-page brochures available on Lulu.

It is my opinion that the professionally produced brochure makes for a more credible message than merely a type written letter, and is more likely to be read. Unfortunately, I do not have the financial means to do a mass mailing of the brochures.

This is where you can help.

For those who feel so inclined, I would like to encourage you to purchase a few copies of the brochures (I would suggest The Day of Jehovah or The Coming Fall of the House of God) and send them either directly to Jehovah’s Witnesses you may know or to kingdom halls, branch offices or individuals at Bethel. (Brochures may be dowloaded for free as PDF's if you wish to preview them)

In order to purchase a brochure all you need to do is open an account at Lulu. Once you have an account you can have the material shipped directly to the recipient. I do not think it would indicate the name of the sender, for those concerned with anonymity. But with the issue of more and more kingdom halls removing their mailboxes, it might be wise to focus on branch offices and assembly halls. (Most assembly halls have residences for overseers and groundskeepers) Or if you know for certain the mailing address of a particular kingdom hall.  

The cost of the brochures is not cheap - about $7 US, plus postage. So, we are talking about ten bucks per brochure. (I do not receive any royalties) But, if many do a little, then that might have an impact. Perhaps if money is tight you may wish to budget to send out one brochure a week, or a month, or whatever your circumstances may permit. I will be doing similarly - focusing on the UK. And I hope to publish a fresh brochure soon as well.

As you likely know, all indications are that the great storm foretold in the Scriptures is about to come upon us. If you believe in the work I am engaged in and want to see this information in the hands of more of Jehovah’s Witnesses, please help me and do what you can.

May Jehovah richly bless your efforts.

Thanks, Robert King

Where are all the mailboxes?

rambling psycho emailer

This Back Page of The Watchman’s Post is reserved for commentary and afterthoughts –

Over the years I have received lots of nasty emails both from Jehovah's Witnesses and ex Jehovah's Witnesses alike. I guess it just comes with the territory I have staked out. Ordinarily I would never republish anyone's private email, but this one was just too good. I have to share:

__________________________________________

You piece of sheet, anointed of Satan (Mat 23:33). How dear you to trying to deceive the weak brothers and sisters who are struggling to remain in the truth with all the problems caused by this system of things, trying to deceive brothers and sisters with few insight of the scriptures when they are in a weak position (Act 20:30, 1Tim 4:1-2) and avoiding the new ones of getting true knowledge that can save them, the true knowlegde that you fully got from JEHOVAH´s Organization on Earth and you still get it by reading and studying all the WT magazines and CD-ROM library reading all the books of the 70´s and then mixing and paiting the knowledge with small differences and publishing as it was from your own insight of the scriptures, you are a tiny and naughty snake a son of destruction as many all over the world (John 17:12, Matt 12:31-32, Heb 10:26-31), so, while you were here learning and preaching, the Organization was approved by JEHOVAH GOD, despite all the teachings were exactly the same including the parousia of Christ (being aside, invisible) during which many prophecy fulfillments occur including the greatest work that the world has ever seen the preaching od the good news of the Righteous Government of the kingdom of GOD trought his beloved Son ans his humble co-rulers, which you had the priviledge of working for in times with JAH´s approval and blessing with all the Faithfull Angels during  the Lord´s Day during the beginning of his parousia in 1914 till the beggining of his invisible manifestation in Great tribulation against false religion untill his full Revelation in glory and power to all the inhabited earth at Armagedon against all the rest of his enemies (Matt 10:23 ;16:28 ; 24:30 ; Matt 25:31-32 ; Rev 1:7) and then a decade ago you read the book of the filthy devil´s inspired Raymond Franz as well as the filthy swedish Carl Olof, and suddenly you got a Satan revelation and you turned anointed for his cause, what a mess you got yourself in, losing your life and probably your wife´s) You are such a Joke, you go to UTube discussing with idiots like you trying to teach as a cathedratic professor with the teachings that you have read on the watchtower and CD with the references of watchtower bible new world translation, deceiving and confusing the people who wants to know the truth and are confused saying word by word all the explanations of the Organization that you Hate and not happy with that, trying to get a higher profile to increase you credibility saying that you are a brother of the our great and meek lord Jesus Christ, an anointed, what a joke (Mat12:30, Rom 15:1-6), definitely you are another of his enemies, who pierce him and his true brothers because all Satan´s sons are indeed mortal enemies of Jehovah ans his beloved Son Jesus Christ. I will not lose more time with you, even because you are already dead going straight to GehHinnom if you get alive untill the revelation of the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ at Armagedon or even before, at his manifestation against all the organized Apostates at G.T. who work hard in opposition of the true Israel of God and his loyal and meek sheeps side by side as equals (Zeph 3:9,Mic 4:5-7) worshipping and work with humiliy to Jehovah God through his Son Jesus Christ to his Glory and Honor now and forever and ready to face the worst tribulation the world has ever experienced fully confidant in Jehovah and Jesus and his loyal Hosts of heavens, truly confidant that we will be protected during this time and not being afraid even if we face death in order to sanctify the Greatest Name of the Universe and his Legitimate Sovereignty of JEHOVAH OF ARMIES, GLORY AND POWER TO HIM FOREVER AND EVER, BECAUSE HE DESERVES FOR HIS INFINITY LOVE, JUSTICE, TRUTH AND MERCY, SENDING HIS BELOVED SON TO DIE FOR ALL THE MANKIND, LIVING AND DEAD ONES ( Rev 4:11 ; 15:3-4 ; Rom 5:8-11; 8:31-39)

But wait, there's more! After I notified him his email was public, in a follow-up raving, rambler, he picks up mid-sentence as if I had responded to something...

_________________________________

oh, yes you did, things that were written back in the 60´s and 70´s about daniel and the toes with some makeup you publish as yours, you little demon, about the king of north you are right , is tottaly yours because is tottaly insane and antibilical when you tried to changed the insights of some prophecies like daniel´s book  you simply  got into a pot of sheet you and your nonsese prophecies.
The rule for you is: when you do a makeup of the WT jehovah organiozation insights is seems almost accurate for the spiritual weaker, but when you changed it you create a cake of sheet for your desert and destruction. Isa 54:17, jer. 12:1-3, read more the bible with some help of the true Franz, Frederick instead of going around the internet misclaneous idiots and stop talking with the dead and demons Isai 8:12-22, is too late for you, you have lack for the truth and thats why Jehovah let you in the dark for you insanity and desttruction with much suffer for you close relatives 2Thess 2:9-12 beacuse for us is the rest od the verses 13-17

New Light at 2011 District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses

This Back Page of The Watchman’s Post is reserved for commentary and afterthoughts – and whatever else.

_______

A friend from the e-jehovahs-witnesses discussion board sent me a private message the other day informing me of the buzz concerning the upcoming 2011 District Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses – specifically, regarding a tract produced by the Watchtower Society advertising the conventions. After a little web surfing it turns out that the back page of the tract (posted here) has an illustration of the metallic image depicted in the 2^nd chapter of the prophecy of Daniel.  Notice that the feet of iron and clay are identified as Britain and the United States and the toes are indicated with a question mark. Apparently, this is what the buzz among Jehovah’s Witnesses is all about.

As far as I am aware (admittedly I do not read everything published by the Watchtower) this tract is the first time the Watchtower has every explicitly identified the iron and clay amalgam with The United States and Great Britain – or the Anglo-American alliance as it is commonly called. Prior to now the Watchtower had always identified the iron and clay in a very non-descript, general way, interpreting the image to symbolize a politically divided world. For example, the May 15, 2000, Watchtower Magazine stated:

“Careful study proves that we are deep in the time of the end, for we have reached the dream image’s feet of iron and clay. Some present-day governments are ironlike or authoritarian, whereas others are claylike. Despite the fragile nature of clay, of which “the offspring of mankind” are made, ironlike rulerships have been obliged to let the common people have some say in the governments ruling over them. Of course, authoritarian rule and the common people stick together no better than do iron and clay. But God’s Kingdom will soon bring an end to this politically fragmented world.”

No doubt Jehovah’s Witnesses will be thrilled to receive this new light from on high and equally doubtless the Watchtower Society will imply that the recent revision of their faulty interpretation of Daniel is a result of the steadily intensifying spectrum of divine light Jehovah is shining upon the boardroom of the Governing Body at the Watchtower headquarters at 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn.

In reality, I realized back in 1997 that the iron and clay symbolized the Anglo-American dyad and between the years 1997-2000 I wrote probably a dozen papers on this and related topics of prophecy and mailed them to specific individuals and departments at Bethel.

Then, in 2005 when the 1^st edition of Jehovah Himself Has Become King was published I mailed several dozen paperback copies of the book to the same recipients and to various congregations in the New York City area, where Bethelites attend meetings. Both the 1^st and 2^nd editions of the book have material and references explaining how the Anglo-American alliance are the manifestation of the iron and clay and king of the north and south, respectively. (Click here for the discussion of the topic in King of the North)

It is typical for the Watchtower to take someone else’s work and pass it off as new light from Jehovah. For instance, it is well known that the original Bible Students used the crucifix and celebrated Christmas; but in the 1920’s they rejected those as having a pagan origin. Years later Bethel declared that the reason for their adjustment back then was because Jehovah showered his new light upon the leadership of the Watchtower Society. In reality, Alexander Hislop published his Two Babylons about 75 years before, a work which the Watchtower frequently cited, which revealed the pagan nature of the cross and Christmas. (Is the Light Brighter for Jehovah’s Witnesses?)

What might the question mark pointing to the toes signify? My guess is that they are going to announce that the ten toes coincide with the ten kings who are to rule for one hour with the eighth king. And that is also something I put to print years ago.

I am reminded of Paul’s comment in the letter to the Galatians, where he remarked that “those outstanding men imparted nothing new.” That is certainly the case with the outstanding men making up the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses. What they will be offering at the conventions as new light is not new at all.

The gratifying thing for me is that tens of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses are undoubtedly familiar with e-watchman in varying degrees and they might begin to wonder why one (myself) who is viewed as a vile apostate receives new light before Bethel does. 

In any case, the Watchtower’s upcoming “new light” adjustment, or whatever you prefer to call it, is a relatively trivial matter. It is nothing really. There is a whole range of prophetic judgments that Jehovah has held in reserve and concealed from the wise and discreet men, to be revealed during the fiery day of the Refiner, for the purpose of discrediting their organizational oracle and idol.

“You have heard. Behold it all. As for you people, will you not tell it? I have made you hear new things from the present time, even things kept in reserve, that you have not known. At the present time they must be created, and not from that time, even things that before today you have not heard, that you may not say, ‘Look! I have already known them.’ Moreover, you have not heard, neither have you known, nor from that time on has your ear been opened. For I well know that without fail you kept dealing treacherously, and a ‘transgressor from the belly’ you have been called. For the sake of my name I shall check my anger, and for my praise I shall restrain myself toward you that there may be no cutting you off. Look! I have refined you, but not in the form of silver. I have made choice of you in the smelting furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake I shall act, for how could one let oneself be profaned? And to no one else shall I give my own glory. – Isaiah 48:6-11



Jesus' Pre-human Existence

Recently I was sent a PDF  doc (attached below) by a reader requesting that I consider the notion that Jesus had no pre-human existence.

As odd as it seems, apparently there is a growing movement that believes that very thing. Although the document sent me is written by Raymond Faircloth, as far as I am aware a fellow by the name of Sir Anthony Buzzard is the foremost advocate of the bizarre teaching.  For whatever it is worth, Sir Buzzard used to be associated with the Ted Armstrong World Wide Church of God, which lifted many of its teachings from the Watchtower Society. He now promotes a group called Restoration Fellowship. At any rate, I looked over the PDF and here is my response to it:

Understandably, those who advocate the view that Jesus had no pre-human existence reject the absurd doctrine of the Trinity. But Sir Anthony Buzzard’s doctrine is also wholly unsupported by Scripture and the very teaching of Jesus himself; and consequently, equally absurd.

Interestingly, the article directly addresses the belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding Jesus and Michael the archangel.  Perhaps the intent is to specifically appeal to Jehovah’s Witnesses with a non-Trinitarian teaching.

The article presents four possible scenarios such as Michael was transferred completely and directly to the womb of Mary. Or the personality of Michael was transferred to the womb of Mary. Or the life force was transferred to the womb of Mary.  He then proceeds to rule out all proposed scenarios by various lines of reasoning, the most specious being the following statement:

“The pre-human existence of a person is illogical. Because no one can exist before they exist it is posited that Michael gave up who he was to become human. However, no one can give up who they are and continue to be the same person. So, the connection with Michael is completely lost.”

The article goes on to insist that had Jesus been a spirit prior to his birth he would have been a hybrid or materialized spirit.

Sir Anthony Buzzard and his fellow travelers seem to have no idea what they are talking about. Essentially, the transferral of a previously existing person from heaven to earth is exactly the opposite of what occurs with the resurrection.

Paul chided the unreasonable Corinthians who demanded to know what sort of body they would be given upon their heavenly resurrection, and then the apostle used the illustration of a grain that dies in order to become a mature plant – nothing being left of the original grain. But are those humans who are destined to share Christ’s heavenly nature via the first resurrection the same persons they were while human? If not, if the resurrected holy ones have no connection with the person who was originally called and chosen to rule with Christ, what is the point of buying persons from the earth in the first place? God could just as easily create new spirit persons who had not formerly been human.  But in the case of those who are resurrected to heaven, is there any trace left of them upon the earth? Only a lifeless corpse that will vanish into dust.

But the point is, if God can recreate humans into mighty spirits, why cannot the opposite take place? Why is it deemed “illogical” that a heavenly person could become fully human?

Jesus said that nothing is impossible for God. Apparently, Sir Anthony Buzzard and company do not believe Jesus.

Besides, the Scriptures make plain that man in his perfect state is just a little lower than the angels. And humanity and the angels are spiritually related, having both been brought into existence in the image of God – Jehovah being the Father of both. That is why humans and angels can interact and communicate with each other. That being the case, all that was necessary in the case of Michael, is for his person to be reduced to the genetic code of a human sperm cell, and impregnated into the human stock inherent in Mary; thus retaining the perfect person who originally existed in the image of God, only fully human. If a spirit can materialize flesh of its own will, leaving nothing of its former self behind in heaven, why is it inconceivable that God could imprint the life and person of a spirit into human genetic material?

Buzzard argues that a spirit could not empty itself and become fully human. But that is exactly what the Scriptures reveal to have occurred. And as already stated, to deny such a thing is possible is to deny the heavenly resurrection itself.

Those who believe that God created a whole new creation when Jesus was implanted in the young Jewish virgin seem oblivious to one crucial fact; namely, that to do such would be a violation of God’s own Sabbath. (See article: A New Covenant for a New Creation)

After the creation of Mother Eve Jehovah declared that all of his work on earth was terminating for a “day of rest.” Of course, Jesus declared that his Father has kept working, but that does not mean that God is not bound by his own Sabbath. The work Jesus was referring to was not in reference to creating things upon the earth. That Sabbath of cessation of creation upon the earth continues. No doubt that is why God did not simply start over again with two new humans after Adam and Eve became unfit to fill the earth with their godly offspring. To do so would have contravened his declared Rest and made him out to be a liar, as Satan connived to accomplish. Since the Word that became flesh already existed before the world was created he was not a new earthly creation and hence, his becoming flesh did not violate God’s great Sabbath.

Another line of reasoning Buzzard uses, he states that because the apostles did not question Jesus about his pre-human existence, they therefore obviously did not believe he had one. This too is specious reasoning. For one thing, John concluded his Gospel by saying that if they had written down all that Jesus has said and done all the books in the world could not contain the account. So, it is possible that Jesus did discuss his prehuman existence with them. However, it is more likely that the apostles simply did not grasp what Jesus was saying at first. That was certainly the case regarding Jesus' death. Over and over Christ explained to them that he would be put to death and resurrected, but the account says they did not understand. Furthermore, several accounts show that the apostles were afraid and reluctant to question Jesus.

Not until after Jesus was resurrected and opened up their minds did they fully comprehend the truth. Jesus even rebuked them for being senseless and slow in heart to believe. But, when the Gospel accounts were written in the decades after Christ the writers of those accounts then fully understood who Jesus was. The Gospel of John in particular, opens by introducing the reader to the prehuman Christ called the Word, even going so far to say that the world came into existence through him.

Interestingly, while Jesus may not have directly told the disciples of his pre-human life he certainly said so to the disbelieving Jews. For example, in the 8^th chapter of John Jesus told the Jews that while they were from the realms below, he was from the realms above, that they were of this world and he was not of this world. And in the same chapter Jesus stated that he existed before Abraham, for which the Jews attempted to stone him.

The apostles may have heard Jesus praying the night of his arrest, when he asked God to glorify him with the glory that he used to have alongside him before the world was. Jesus also referred to himself as the true bread that came down from heaven to give life to the world.

Jesus also explained that no man has ascended to heaven except he that has descended, the Son of man.

John went on to write that many deceivers have gone forth into the world, those not confessing that Christ came in the flesh.

The Trinity doctrine effectively denies that Christ became flesh, since devotees believe that Jesus was a god/man. They condemn Jehovah’s Witnesses for ‘denying the deity of Jesus.’

Obviously, though, a person cannot be 100% man and 100% God, as believers in the myth declare. Belief in the deity of Christ is a denial that he came in the flesh.

And Sir Anthony Buzzard’s theory denies that Christ came. How so?

To come in the flesh implies that Jesus came from somewhere, does it not? He did not just come from nowhere. Surely, no one who believes in the second coming of Christ believes that Jesus comes into existence at his second coming.

To deny Jesus’ prehuman existence is to minimize and obscure the great sacrifice Jesus made. He originally gave up something greater than human life. As Paul explained to the Philippians, Jesus initially existed in God’s form but he did not consider himself to be God’s equal. No, but he emptied himself, and found himself in fashion as a man – in other words, he came in the flesh. Certainly, for a mighty god to forfeit such a privileged place in heaven to come down to this sin-ravaged planet is a tremendous display of humility, self-sacrifice and godly-devotion, which is the whole point.

Just because Anthony Buzzard says it is not possible and illogial does not make it so.

Conclusion: Anthony Buzzard is one of many deceivers who have gone forth into the world.



Pre-Human existence