Even in the Face of Death

Satan may try to appeal to the natural desire for food in an effort to turn us away from doing God’s will. For example, Satan told Eve that she could eat of the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad” without having to die, saying that on the day of her eating from it, she would be like God. The Devil thus insinuated that Eve did not need to be obedient to God in order to live. What a blatant lie that was! Once the idea was planted in Eve’s mind, she had two options: She could reject the idea, or she could keep dwelling on it, allowing her desire for the fruit to grow. Despite the fact that all the other trees of the garden were at her disposal, she chose to dwell on what Satan had said concerning the tree in the middle of the garden, and she “began taking of its fruit and eating it.” Satan thus created within her a desire for something that was forbidden by her Creator.

COMMENTARY

The implication of the Genesis account of the serpent deceiving Eve is that Satan only tempts us and misleads us as individuals. But the 12 chapter of Revelation reveals that at the time the Kingdom comes to power the one identified as the original serpent is misleading the entire world. 

However, there is one group that will stand out in contrast and who will be specifically targeted by the Devil after he and his angels are cast down by Michael and his angels. Revelation 12:17 identifies them: “So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses try to observe the commandments of God and support a great worldwide work of bearing witness to Jesus and his Kingdom.

Paradoxically, though, prior to the time that Satan goes off to wage all-out war with the “remaining ones of the woman” they are under what Paul called a “deluding influence.”

Paul explained that Jehovah permits “an operation of Satan” to empower a so-called man of lawlessness. According to the context of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, the Devil’s operation puts in place a phony parousia. This, of course, is what the Watchtower is committed to espousing and promoting at all costs. And we may expect this “deluding influence” to persist up until Satan is actually cast down. That is when the delusion will be shattered. 

As an example of the fraud of the Watchtower’s 1914 invisible parousia doctrine, returning to the 12th chapter of Revelation verses 10-12 state: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls  even in the face of death. On this account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time.”

Now, here are a few questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses to honestly consider: Given the fact that the period between Satan’s ouster until he is thrown into the abyss is described as “a short period of time,”  is it not indicative of a delusion that Jehovah’s Witnesses unquestioningly believe that the “short period of time” is more than a century? Perhaps the better question would be: Why did God even bother to convey this information in such a way if it is essentially meaningless?

Furthermore, since the 12th chapter of Revelation reveals that Satan is allowed to wage war for a period amounting to 1,260 days, would it not be most reasonable to believe that the short period of time is three and a half years?

Perhaps the most damning aspect of the Watchtower’s 1914 doctrine is that the same time period is expressed in the 11th chapter of Revelation as being 42 months. And that period of time commences when the beast emerges from the abyss. And the emergence of the beast from the abyss begins the 666 marking, which signifies that the personal names of each of the bearers of that mark are not written down in the book of life, meaning they are irreversibly consigned to the second death.

The Watchtower insists that the scarlet beast came alive in 1921 and then crawled out of the abyss in 1945 . But if that were true than that means that people to whom Jehovah’s Witnesses preach and try to save cannot by any means be saved since they are already doomed!

The fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses have no clue how convoluted and contradictory the Watchtower’s interpretation of prophecy is is itself the telltale sign that they are under a powerful delusion. And it is enforced by the Watchtower by mere tyranny, since anyone who dares question Bethel’s nonsensical interpretations are dealt with by means of a judicial committee. 

Not only does the Watchtower’s interpretations of prophecy not add up, but how many of Jehovah’s Witnesses have faced death? I know of none.

Sure, back in Nazi Germany and behind the communistic Iron Curtain thousands were rounded up and put in camps. But even during the brief Nazi reign of terror relatively few of Jehovah’s Witnesses were put to death. Yet, the verse cited in Revelation indicates that all of the remaining ones will face death and will in fact be killed. That is why it says of them: “they did not love their souls  even in the face of death.”

It is easy to claim that one is faithful and devout. The apostle Peter vowed to die with Jesus only to deny he ever knew him a few hours later. Reasonably, one can only demonstrate that they will not flinch from death if they are actually confronted with it, as was Christ.

But one more question: How many of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have faced death? How many of those who claim to be anointed at this present moment have been forced to demonstrate their faith at the pointed barrel of a gun? None would be the correct answer. But that is all about to change when the Devil is cast down.