This is part six of the review of the May, 2024 Watchtower
On his last sojourn to Jerusalem, Jesus stunned his apostles when he viewed the temple and said that no stone would be left standing upon a stone and not thrown down. After a few days, the apostles approached Jesus privately and asked for more details. They wanted to know when these things would befall Jerusalem and the temple.
Evidently though, the apostles were inspired by God to inquire for us. In what sense? At the time they approached Christ on the Mount of Olives, they did not even understand that Jesus was going to be put to death, then raised from the dead, ascend into the heavens, and then return at a much later date. They certainly had no knowledge of a future parousia. And yet they asked for a sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system. Needless to say, none of the apostles lived to see his presence.
It is most noteworthy that Jesus prefaced his prophecy and parables with a warning: “Look out that you are not misled, for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time is near.’ Do not go after them. Furthermore, when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified. For these things must take place first, but the end will not occur immediately.” — Luke 21:8,9
There are many end-time preachers now. Most of them come from Evangelical sects and cults, and more are jumping on the end-times bandwagon as time goes on. However, if we are honest, we will recognize that no sect has been as vocal for as long as the Watchtower in announcing that Christ is here and “the due time is near,” or as the NWT Reference edition says, “The due time has approached.”
C.T. Russell’s second volume in the Studies in the Scriptures, published in 1889, was entitled The Time is at Hand. Interestingly, two years later the American Standard Version of the Bible was published and it rendered Jesus’ words exactly the same: “Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he ; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses will rationalize and say that the time was at hand back then because the Kingdom was put in place in 1914. If that were true, though, what wars and disturbances preceded the outbreak of the Great War that may have been cause for giving way to terror?
Here we are now, more than a century removed from when the time was at hand, and the nations of the world are faced with a developing crisis that sober-minded people fear could devolve into another world war and the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Nuclear war is unthinkable. That is why most people dismiss it as an impossibility. People naturally assume that the leaders of the world would not be so reckless and stupid. Provoking a world-ending nuclear holocaust would be insane. Only madmen would blow up the world. And yet, the reality is that the war party in London and other capitals of the West are committed to toppling President Putin and breaking up Russia into smaller pieces. This has been the long-range goal of the British Empire for over two hundred years. Since the end of the USSR and the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact more than 30 years ago the steady expansion of NATO up to Russia’s border is evidence that the Empire is advancing their policy to conquer and subjugate Russia. The Russians know this. They have stated repeatedly that a direct attack upon Russia will be met with a nuclear response. By the way, with the recent terror attack still under investigation, it may ultimately be determined that British and American intelligence were involved, in which case Russia may conclude that they are at war with the West and bypass the Ukrainian proxy.
So, nuclear war is not unthinkable. It is part of Russia’s military doctrine of self-defense. And by all accounts, Russia is under attack. The Warhawks in the West have dismissed Putin’s warning. They say he is bluffing. And so the Anglo beast keeps pushing harder, using longer-ranging missiles to strike deeper and deeper into Russia.
Then there is the war in the Middle East. So far the Islamic nations surrounding have stood by and allowed Israel to slaughter the people of Palestine. That may not always be the case though. And then there is China. Or, rather, the ongoing provocations of China by the same Warhawks of the Anglosphere who are driven by the knowledge that their system is bankrupt and on the verge of collapse and that a new system is emerging—BRICS
Surely, these are the wars and disturbances that “must take place first” before nations and kingdoms are plunged into total war and peace is taken from the earth. Now consider what is stated in the 12th paragraph:
12 Even after the great tribulation starts, it is possible that some who see the destruction of “Babylon the Great” will recall that Jehovah’s Witnesses had long spoken of this event. Might some who see these events have a change of heart?
As I have frequently pointed out there is no scriptural support for the Watchtower’s oft-repeated declaration that the tribulation begins when the eighth king turns upon Babylon the Great. That is why they never offer any. But now it seems that the Watchtower is repudiating itself by speculating that it is possible for some to have a change of heart after God’s judgment is executed against Babylon.
Besides the fact that Babylon will not be destroyed during the tribulation and so it will not be possible for people to recall that what Jehovah’s Witnesses had said turned out to be true, for as long as the Watchtower has existed, it has urged people to get out of Babylon the Great before God’s judgment befalls it. And that warning is supported by the Scriptures. Just for the sake of review let us consider it again: “And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues.” — Revelation 18:4
Tragically, apparently, Jehovah’s Witnesses have become so stupefied by the repetition that they do not realize that the Watchtower has casually nullified God’s word. If it were possible for a person to have a change of heart, why would God’s angel sternly warn the people of God to get out of her before she is condemned?
Perhaps there are a few Jehovah’s Witnesses who are sober who are reading this article. To you, I appeal and exhort you to appreciate that we are witnessing the extraordinary fulfillment of prophecy. In light of the Watchtower’s repudiation of itself and contradiction of the Bible, the word of God is fulfilled: “And these also go astray because of wine; their alcoholic beverages make them stagger. Priest and prophet go astray because of alcohol; the wine confuses them, and they stagger from their alcohol; their vision makes them go astray, and they stumble in judgment. For their tables are full of filthy vomit—There is no place without it.” – Isaiah 28:7-8
The publishers of the Watchtower have always claimed that the words of Isaiah applied to the clergy of Christendom. But it is now obvious that the Governing Body is drunk with its own importance. They are staggering and have no idea where they are in relation to the coming of Christ. They are confused about the nature of the tribulation. They have stumbled in their judgment, as is evident in their statement above. In a spiritual sense, their prophetic interpretations that are served up as the finest spiritual food available are set on a table full of revolting vomit.
End of part six