The boaster will come to his finish

Seeing Jerusalem “surrounded by encamped armies,” just as Jesus had prophesied, Christians in Judea, and especially those living in Jerusalem, had to act decisively. Jesus had warned them that they would need to flee as soon as they saw these events start to unfold. In the 28 years since Jesus had uttered that prophecy, the faithful Jewish Christians living in Israel had already faced much opposition and persecution successfully. Yet, Paul knew that they were about to be confronted with one of the most challenging tests of their faith.  He wanted them to be prepared for whatever might come their way. They would need exceptional endurance and faith—faith strong enough to preserve their lives. So Paul was prompted by Jehovah’s spirit to write those dear brothers and sisters a letter designed to meet their special needs. That letter is now known as the book of Hebrews.

COMMENTARY (Belated)

I was once told by a member of the Governing Body that if Jehovah wanted them to know anything he would reveal it to them directly, and not through the vain efforts of some presumptuous outsider —meaning me.

Actually, though, that is probably true. And consequently, since Jehovah has obviously not enlightened them regarding important matters relating to the future unveiling of divine judgments, it is apparent that it is God’s will that they remain in a state of blindness until such time as God’s purpose is fulfilled. The prophecy of Isaiah speaks to this situation.

Regarding the desolation of Jerusalem the 29th chapter states: “Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Continue year after year; let the cycle of festivals continue. But I will bring distress on Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation, and she will become to me like an altar hearth of God. I will encamp on all sides against you, and I will besiege you with a palisade and raise up siegeworks against you. You will be brought low; from the ground you will speak, and what you say will be muffled by dust. Your voice will come from the ground like the voice of a spirit medium, and your words will chirp from the dust.”

It would seem that Jesus had this prophecy in mind when he foretold that Jerusalem would be surrounded by enemies who would encircle them with a fence of pointed stakes, which is what a palisade is. In the 21st chapter of Luke Jesus added that “these are days for meting out justice in order that all the things written may be fulfilled.” Included among “all the things that must be fulfilled” is the debasing of Ariel so that his voice is “muffled by dust.”

Imagine, if you will, the Watchtower, which boasts of projecting its voice into over 700 languages around the world, suddenly falling silent —the voice of the slave becoming a faint whisper, as if speaking from beyond the grave in a strange voice. And imagine this calamity coinciding with the worst time of trouble for the world and when millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses will expect to receive “life-saving instructions” from the Governing Body. 

Isaiah goes on to foretell that the attack on Ariel ultimately leads to divine intervention, saying: “The crowd of your enemies will be like fine powder, the crowd of the tyrants just like the blowing chaff. And it will happen in an instant, suddenly. Jehovah of armies will give you his attention with thunder and earthquake and a great noise, with storm wind and tempest and the flames of a consuming fire. Then the crowd of all the nations waging war against Ariel —All those waging war against her, the siege towers against her, and those bringing distress on her—will become like a dream, a vision of the night. Yes, it will be just as when someone hungry dreams that he is eating, but he wakes up hungry, and as when someone thirsty dreams that he is drinking, but he wakes up tired and thirsty. So it will happen with the crowd of all the nations that wage war against Mount Zion.”

Certainly God did not suddenly destroy the Chaldeans when they laid siege to Jerusalem. Neither did Jehovah’s wrath fall upon the Romans when they sacked the holy city in the first century. The prophecy obviously relates to the desolation of the symbolic Jerusalem during the conclusion, during the world’s greatest time of trouble —the great tribulation. But why would God take vengeance upon the nations for their doing away with Christendom? After all, that is what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jerusalem represents.

Although the answer to the contradiction ought to be obvious, the real question is, why can’t the official seers see it? Isaiah continues: “Be stunned and amazed; blind yourselves and be blinded. They are drunk, but not with wine; they are staggering, but not from alcohol. For Jehovah has poured a spirit of deep sleep on you; He has closed your eyes, the prophets, and he has covered your heads, the visionaries. Every vision becomes for you like the words of a sealed book. When they give it to someone who can read, saying: “Read this out loud, please,” he will say: “I cannot, for it is sealed up.” And when they give the book to someone who cannot read, saying: “Read this, please,” he will say: “I cannot read at all.””

Over these many decades many anointed Christians associated with the Watchtower have studied the Bible and its many prophecies, but for them the prophecy of Isaiah —at least it’s future application —is like a sealed book. No one is able to decipher it intelligibly. It is as if they are drunk, and indeed they are spiritually intoxicated and unaware of their own state.

Why would God deliberately conceal his intentions in such a way? Jehovah says: “This people approaches me with their mouth and they honor me with their lips, but their heart is far removed from me; and their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught. Therefore, I am the One who will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discreet men will be hidden. Woe to those who go to great lengths to conceal their plans from Jehovah. Their deeds are done in a dark place, while they say: “Who sees us? Who knows about us?” How you twist things! Should the potter be regarded the same as the clay? Should what is made say about its maker: “He did not make me”? And does what is formed say about its former: “He shows no understanding”?

Do not Jehovah’s Witnesses publicly praise Jehovah with their mouths and honor him with their lips? But, as the accusation stands, Jehovah’s Witnesses appear to be more devoted to the Watchtower than to God and Christ. Certainly that is what God is stating in prophecy.

And do not Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the directives of a wise and discreet slave —commands of men? To what lengths have they gone to conceal their plans? Only God knows the full extent. But this site has thoroughly documented how they have twisted things, torturously wringing the Scriptures to place the coming of Christ into the receding past in order to bestow upon themselves Heaven’s full blessing and transform the Watchtower Society into the very Kingdom of Christ. That a future parousia and day of reckoning looms is considered nonsense —as if Jehovah “shows no understanding.”

How will it end? Isaiah continues: “In just a short time, Lebanon will be turned into an orchard, and the orchard will be regarded as a forest. In that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of the gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The meek will rejoice greatly in Jehovah, and the poor among men will be joyful in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant will be no more, the boaster will come to his finish, and all those keeping alert to do harm will be destroyed, those who with a false word make others guilty, who lay traps for the defender in the city gate, and who with empty arguments deny justice to the righteous one.”

The outbreak of world war, global pandemics, famines and earthquakes will unequivocally repudiate 1914. No longer will the tyrants boast of their spiritual discernment in divining the invisible presence of Christ.  Their empty arguments that the composite sign of Christ’s presence has been on full display for the past century will be exposed as sheer nonsense and madness. Their secret payouts of hush money (gag orders) to deny justice to victims of sex abuse will end too. Then those who had been under authority of the Watchtower will be no longer. They will discern the truth that Christ has at last come. They will, at last, discern the truth expressed in Isaiah and all other prophecies. They will flee the doomed organization and seek refuge in the actual Kingdom of Christ. The boasters in Jehovah visible organization will have come to their finish.

Indeed, the desolation of “Jerusalem” has drawn near.