The leading article of the December, 2013 Watchtower entitled – Avoid Being Quickly Shaken from Your Reason – states in the opening paragraph:

“Hoaxes, scams, and deception  are all too common in the present  system  of things. This should not surprise us. The Bible makes it plain that Satan the Devil is  an  accomplished deceiver,  and  he  is the  ruler of this system.”

To be sure, Satan is an accomplished deceiver and the god and ruler of this present system, as the Scriptures reveal. However, we should not suppose that the old serpent has no influence over true Christians – and not just emanating from the outside world as the Society intimates, but from within the organization – from the highest level. Consider the scriptural precedents that follow.

The apostle Paul certainly expressed his deep concern over his fellow Christians – fearing that they might somehow be seduced by the same cunning Devil who originally misled our Great grandmother, Eve. But the inspired apostle went on to reveal that the spiritual danger he was addressing was posed by the very men who presided over the Corinthians, who were themselves false apostles and deceitful workers, who had merely transformed themselves into ministers of righteousness – following the pattern of Satan, whom Paul revealed “keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11 – NWT) 

The apostle Peter also forewarned us that just as there were false prophets among the people, apparently referring to the Jews,“there will also be false teachers among you.” And Peter went on to indicate that the false teachers will covet Christ’s followers – wanting control over them – and they “will exploit you with counterfeit words.” (2 Peter 2 – NWT) Please take note of the fact that the inspired apostle did not say that you might be exploited. He foretold as an absolute certainty that Christians will be deceived by false teachers using cleverly counterfeited words. And, as the context goes on to indicate, Peter was not writing about a condition that necessarily existed then, but one that would exist as a prelude to the return of Christ. That is when the false teachers shall meet up with destruction. Surely, God has not brought “speedy destruction” upon any of the Devil’s agents yet, at least not in the Christian era.

In the book of Revelation Jesus similarly revealed that within his seven symbolic congregations there exists false apostles and Balaam-like deceivers. Again, Christians would be exposed to that evil influence up until the day of Christ.

Since Satan successfully infiltrated the congregation(s) of Corinth with false apostles and Peter and Jesus himself indicated that his people will be menaced by prominent deceivers from within up until the tribulation, thinking Jehovah’s Witnesses would do well to reflect upon the fact that the Watchtower does not in any way acknowledge this undeniable truth. Why do you suppose that is the case?

But consider the question: Whose purpose is best served by fostering the notion that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses is an unfailing beacon of divine light? Considering that the Watchtower is perpetuating one of the greatest hoaxes ever (regarding Christ’s invisible parousia) the answer to the question posed should be obvious. The second paragraph states:

“Misleading statements and outright lies about Jehovah’s servants and their beliefs  are sometimes  featured in the media. Newspaper headlines, television documentaries, and Internet Web pages are used to propagate  untruths.   As  a  result,  some  people  become disturbed,  gullibly believing  such lies.”

The Watchtower does not give any specific examples of how the media may publish lies about “Jehovah’s servants.” But in instances of libelous defamation the Watchtower could always take legal action – as they have done on occasion.

For the past decade I have collected news items appearing on the Internet involving the Watchtower and Jehovah’s Witnesses. (JW News & Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower in the News – archive) For the most part the media present the facts. Sometimes, though, the jargon does not particularly match the so-called theocratic language used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, but that cannot be considered deliberate lies. For example, recently one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Southern California was arrested for sexually abusing boys who attended the kingdom hall. The media referred to the perpetrator as “a church usher” instead of an attendant.  So, perhaps the media’s unfamiliarity with the Watchtower’s peculiar terminology may diminish their credibility in the eyes of some, but the essentials of the stories appear factual. Or, is the Society wishing to intimate that there is not a pedophile problem within the hallowed halls of the kingdom?

As for misleading “Internet web pages,” the Society implies that every page on the world-wide-web that critically scrutinizes Watchtower teachings is propagating untruth. But I here-now challenge any of Jehovah’s Witnesses to bear witness to any untruth that has been published on this web site.

It is the Watchtower that is practicing deception, propagating untruths and misleading statements, and hiding behind its assumed mantel of righteousness.  Are not such tactics characteristic of the Devil? 

“WE AWAIT THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON THE GREAT”

 In the fourth paragraph the Watchtower states:

“Today, we await  the  destruction of  Babylon  the Great,  the  world empire   of false  religion.  This  will  mark  the  beginning  of the great day of Jehovah. Thankfully, we have  an increased understanding of the outworking  of Jehovah’s purpose.”

Truthfully, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not “have an increased understanding of the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose.” These are the telltale, hackneyed “counterfeit words” of the Deceiver, projecting his best imitation of an angel’s voice through the medium of the Watchtower.

In reality, Jehovah’s Witnesses are still very much shackled with the same “operation of error” that the Watchtower Society has promoted from its very inception. Keep in mind that according to Paul the operation of error emanates from a man of lawlessness and is related to his deceptive scheme of announcing that the day of Jehovah is here, as the Watchtower has done for the past century. 

But to demonstrate the mendacity of the Society’s claim that Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy an increasing understanding of God’s purpose, back in the 1930’s J.F. Rutherford concocted the cockamamie tale that the locust and caterpillar plague envisaged in the book of Joel symbolizes Jehovah’s Witnesses and their ministry and somehow the clergy are the priests of Jehovah who are crying out to him for relief from the infestation.  Rutherford was apparently oblivious to the fact that the prophecy depicts Jehovah intervening to destroy the locust hordes, also described as “the northerner.”

In spite of the obvious absurdities of Rutherford’s interpretation of Joel, which any honest reader will acknowledge, the Watchtower continues to this very day (paragraph 5) to teach such nonsense, all the while boasting of enjoying an increasing understanding of God’s purpose. 

Or consider another even more egregious example: Bible prophecy depicts a wonderful spiritual condition that God will create for his people, which the Watchtower has dubbed as “spiritual paradise.” The Bible assures us that within this Eden-like organization there will not be found one person doing harm to another. (Just as was the condition in Eden before Satan posed as the angel of light.)  There will be no cunning, beastlike men preying on others – depicted by the imagery of the lion lying down with the lamb. The Watchtower has convinced Jehovah’s Witnesses that this condition presently exists within the organization. Here is a direct quote taken from the November 15, 2005, Watchtower (Scroll down to paragraph 16)

“God also fulfilled this promise: “I shall certainly conclude a covenant in that day in connection with the wild beast of the field and with the flying creature of the heavens and the creeping thing of the ground, and the bow and the sword and war I shall break out of the land, and I will make them lie down in security.” (Hosea 2:18) The Jewish remnant who returned to their homeland lived in security, with nothing to fear from animals. This prophecy also had a fulfillment in 1919 C.E., when the remnant of spiritual Israel was freed from “Babylon the Great,” the world empire of false religion. They now dwell in security and enjoy life in a spiritual paradise with their companions, who hope to live forever on earth. Animalistic traits do not exist among these true Christians.”

It is truly mind-boggling that in spite of the fact that tens of thousands of children of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sexually abused, leading the Legal Department to be embroiled in one lawsuit after the other in recent years, the Governing Body steadfastly insists that there are no beastly predators to be found in the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Apparently, the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not consider pedophilia to be an animalistic trait.

But is it such a trifling matter or an innocent mistake for the Watchtower Society to falsely declare the organization to be a predator-free spiritual paradise in fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise, or is it not a glaring example of how Satan continues to transform himself into an angel of light and use his false teachers to exploit Jehovah’s Witnesses with counterfeit words?

As another example of the Devil’s insidious influence, as cited above the Watchtower states that the “great day of Jehovah,” also known in the Scriptures as “a day belonging to Jehovah” and “Jehovah’s day,” will begin in the future when false religion is destroyed. However, as recently as January 2013 the Watchtower (paragraph 4) said that the “day belonging to Jehovah” began in 1914! Which is it?

The article entitled “Stay in Jehovah’s Valley of Protection” implies that the organization overseen by the Watchtower Society is the valley of protection depicted in the 14th chapter of the prophecy of Zechariah. So, clearly, the Watchtower is employing what is described by Jehovah in Ezekiel as “double-face divination” in order to advance their agenda, which is to convince Jehovah’s Witnesses that the organization is and always will be the sole provision for salvation. 

The fact that such incongruities are always linked to glorifying the organization as the mouthpiece of God and the place of salvation ought to give thinking Jehovah’s Witnesses reason to pause and reflect upon what is going on. After all, once when Paul and Barnabas were traveling in their ministry a girl possessed by a demon of divination followed them around loudly proclaiming that they were men sent by the Most High publishing the way of salvation. Was the demon lying? No. It was telling the truth – transforming itself into an angel of light. So, it should not seem out of the ordinary for the demons to promote the Watchtower Society as a spiritual paradise and the “valley of protection.” But why would the demons promote Jehovah’s organization?

Consider, for a moment what will happen when the authentic parousia commences, as it surely must, soon. What then? Will God thereafter use the Watchtower to gather his then-scattered sheep, even after the Society has been discredited as having worked a deliberate scam concerning Christ’s 1914 parousia? There is no chance of that happening. At that point whatever is left of the Watchtower Society will become a snare and a stumbling block for Jehovah’s Witnesses. So, the demons are promoting the Society as the haven of salvation knowing that the real parousia has not commenced. 

Is the Watchtower Society Jehovah’s Valley of Protection? 

But that is not all, in the previously cited paragraph (Para. #4) the Society claims that the destruction of Babylon the Great will mark the beginning of the day of Jehovah. The Watchtower regularly repeats this without so much as one scriptural reference. And no doubt millions of trusting Jehovah’s Witnesses will dutifully underline the “correct answer” in the Watchtower study material with a colorful highlighter, about how the Society provides “timely reminders” on such vital matters.

But the truth is the great tribulation does not commence with the destruction of Babylon the Great. There is nothing in either the 17 or 18th chapters of Revelation that indicates that to be the case. This is surely a counterfeit expression.

The tribulation will come upon the entire world when the present political and economic system crashes. This topic has been thoroughly discussed on this website to the extent that providing links to relevant articles is not deemed necessary.

However, the underlying pseudo-biblical basis that the Society uses to convince Jehovah’s Witnesses of the authenticity of its claim is the notion that 1st century Jerusalem symbolizes Christendom and by the sheer power of suggestion extends to encompass all of Babylon the Great. But, again, the Society’s teaching has been completely dismantled. 

Now, I invite you to please thoughtfully consider what the Watchtower presents in paragraphs five and six. It is a shocking example of the Watchtower’s duplicity in exploiting Jehovah’s Witnesses with counterfeit words. Read: 

“Shortly after sending his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians, Paul sent them a second letter. In this he called attention to the coming tribulation when the Lord Jesus will carry out divine judgment on “those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news.” What is now chapter 2 of this letter reveals that some in that congregation had become “excited” about Jehovah’s day to the point that they believed that its arrival was then imminent. Those early Christians had only a limited understanding of the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose, even as Paul later acknowledged regarding prophecy: “We have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with.” But the inspired warnings penned by Paul, the apostle Peter, and other faithful anointed brothers of that time could equip them to maintain their faith.

To set matters straight, Paul under inspiration explained that a great apostasy and “the man of lawlessness” were to appear before Jehovah’s day. Thereafter, in his due time, the Lord Jesus  would “bring to nothing” all those who had been deceived. The apostle pinpointed the reason for this judgment on them; it was that “they did not accept the love of the truth. We do well to ask ourselves: ‘How much do I love the truth? Do I keep up-to-date with our present understanding as set out in the pages of this magazine and other Bible-based publications provided for the worldwide congregation of God’s people?’”

The Society has so cleverly twisted the truth it is hard to know where to start to unravel this knotty mess. 

 THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS IS NOT THE CLERGY

The truth is, the man of lawlessness does not exist outside the congregation of Christ. Anyone who carefully reads the words of the apostle will note that Paul clearly stated that the man of lawlessness presumes to preside over God’s temple, which is the congregation of Christ. Furthermore, he will exist within the temple of God up until the manifestation of Christ. Here is what Paul wrote: “He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.”The Society, of course, claims that the man of lawlessness is the clergy and that he merely claims or pretends to sit down in the temple of The God. That is, admittedly, a very clever twist of the truth. But Paul did not say that the man of lawlessness merely falsely claims to squat in Jehovah’s spiritual temple or that he is unsuccessful in an attempt to insinuate himself into Christ’s congregation. No, the prophecy foretells that he actually opposes Jesus’ congregation and lifts himself up over it and every other god and object of reverence.

Is that not exactly what the Governing Body and the Watchtower Society have done? As a body they have exalted themselves above the clergy and all the false gods of Babylon the Great. They sit as the explainers of all truth – holding the keys of the kingdom, as it were. As in the article under consideration, they elevate themselves and present their own demonstrably flawed understanding on an equal basis with God and his Word. (“as set out in the pages of this magazine and other Bible-based publications provided for the worldwide congregation of God’s people.”) The Watchtower Society is elevated to be the very city of God! 

Just as Peter forewarned that Christians will be exploited by counterfeit words, Paul similarly forewarned the brothers of Christ not to be taken in by authoritative pronouncements and letters passed off with apostolic authority, declaring that the parousia has begun and that Jehovah’s day is here.

The Watchtower unblushingly declares that some of the 1st century Christians, who did not have a complete understanding of Jehovah’s purpose, had gotten unduly “excited” about the prospect of Jehovah’s day. But Paul’s warning not to be “quickly shaken from your reason” is only marginally applicable to the original Christians. Paul’s warning is really a prophesy directed to Christians living in the lead-up to the manifestation of Jesus Christ. And who among Jehovah’s Witnesses will dare deny that the Watchtower has been the sole source of a steady stream of verbal messages (talks) and letters (magazines and Bible-based publications) declaring that the parousia has begun and the day of Jehovah is here? Were not the original Bible Students jarred from their senses in 1914, imagining they were going to be taken home to heaven that very year or shortly thereafter? ( Read the firsthand account of one who was there in chapter four of Faith On the March)

And what about the 1975 fiasco? Were not multitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses shaken from their reason by the authoritative proclamations of the Watchtower Society and its traveling representatives? The truth is, large numbers of Jehovah’s Witnesses were not only shaken, but stumbled. (See Wikipedia article – Watch Tower Society unfulfilled predictions)

who is blind as Jehovah's Witnesses-Returning to the sixth paragraph, the Society states that Christ “would bring to nothing all those who had been deceived.”

This is a gross distortion of the truth. Paul foretold that the manifestation of Jesus will bring the man of lawlessness to nothing. It says nothing about all those who have believed his lies being destroyed too. God allows for the operation of error to go to all Christians. But only those who do not accept the love of the truth will be destroyed.

But the truth is, all of Jehovah’s servants are blind and senseless up until the actual parousia commences. To be sure, the coming of Christ will change everything. Should we expect anything less then everything being turned upside down when the glorious Lord comes to inspect the house of God? 

It is my confidence that many of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are presently blinded by the Watchtower’s counterfeited words will have their eyes opened and embrace the new reality that will present itself then – including individuals from among the Governing Body and highest levels of the Society.  

Finally, consider the Society’s dire warning in paragraph nine, which states:

“We are nearing the outbreak of the great tribulation and the end of this wicked system, so those inspired warnings given in the first century take on greater significance. We definitely do not want to ‘miss the purpose’ of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness and lose out on the promise of everlasting life, be that in heaven or on earth. If ever someone attending our congregation meetings would try to entice us into discussions of personal speculations or critical conversations, we should definitely be on guard.”

On the one hand the Watchtower claims that Jehovah’s Witnesses are in a blessed spiritual paradise, while on the other hand they are issuing warnings to be on guard against persons “attending our congregation meetings would try to entice us into discussions of personal speculations or critical conversations.” 

Besides the obvious contradiction, apparently the Watchtower Society is getting desperate to maintain its control over the thoughts of Jehovah’s Witnesses. What sort of “personal speculations” ought Jehovah’s Witnesses be on guard against? Obviously, anything that is not stamped with the Watchtower Society’s official seal of approval. But consider for a moment the facts. 
.

Back at least a decade ago I first presented an article, which has subsequently been presented in the book Jehovah Himself Has Become King, that overturned the Society’s teaching that Jesus has already appointed the faithful slave over all his belongings.

Surely, the Governing Body would classify that as “personal speculation.” At least they would have prior to their adopting that view, as of the July, 2013, issue of the Watchtower. 

So, prior to that any of Jehovah’s Witnesses who may have read the information presented on e-Watchman and spoke about it in the congregation would have been considered a dangerous threat to the spirituality of any who listened. But presto! What was previously considered “personal speculation” and banned from discussion in the congregation is now the official teaching of God’s earthly mouthpiece! Amazing! Perhaps Jehovah’s Witnesses ought to inquire if their Governing Body has been secretly gleaning forbidden information on Internet web pages!

Of course, Bethel has spun it so as to retain the 1914 hoax. Perhaps most disconcerting, the new light has made the evil slave vanish. Poof!  But, isn’t that typical of the Devil’s now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t modus-operandi?

Yes, apparently the Devil is trying to tighten his grip on the minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses, evidenced by the stern warnings to disregard any criticism of the Watchtower’s wicked policies and treachery; discounting factual media reports of various crimes committed in “spiritual paradise”; and above all, it seems the angel of light wishes to dissuade and terrify Jehovah’s Witnesses from considering the writings of e-Watchman, which are evidently percolating as an undercurrent of salacious whisperings through the organization.

 

 

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