QUESTION: Throughout your website you mention that the preaching work presently undertaken by JW’s is just a prelude to the much larger work that will be done just before the end comes (Matt 24:14). How exactly will this preaching work look, and who/what will carry it out? Who will respond to it?
ANSWER: The worldwide preaching work being carried out by Jehovah’s Witnesses has traced the pattern provided by the original followers of Christ. From its very inception in 1878 the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has promoted what has now become the most dynamic and far-reaching evangelical movement in history. As a result most of the world has been given an opportunity to know Jehovah’s grand purpose for mankind and millions have responded and taken up an authentic Christian ministry.
However, while the Watchtower Society has provided an invaluable service in educating, training and directing Jehovah’s Witnesses, paradoxically, the very same institution has been instrumental in effectively blinding Jehovah’s Witnesses to the future judgments of God. Bethel has unwittingly accomplished this by obfuscating the many relevant prophecies and prophetic dramas contained in the Bible. Ironically, this development is also a matter of prophecy.
As you likely are aware, much of the information presented on e-watchman.com is intended to overturn the Watchtower’s strongly entrenched 1914, invisible parousia doctrine. (Not that I entertain any illusions of succeeding in that endeavor) It is my contention that the entire 1914 doctrine is the foretold “operation of error.” Any thorough reading of Paul’s discussion of it ought to reveal that the error goes forward to those who otherwise know the truth and it pertains to weighty pronouncements claiming that the parousia has already begun.
As a consequence of embracing this “operation of error” the core of the message that Jehovah’s Witnesses preach (regarding Jesus having begun ruling in his kingdom since 1914) cannot possibly fulfill Jesus’ words regarding the good news of the kingdom being preached throughout the earth as a witness to all the nations. How could an artfully contrived false story regarding the advent of the kingdom accomplish what Christ foretold concerning the good news of the kingdom?
Not coincidently, though, Jesus’ original apostles and other followers where in a similar situation. As presented in Who Is Blind? the apostles and disciples whom Jesus initially sent out in pairs preached the rousing message that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near. But at the time those disciples did not know that the kingdom of the heavens was actually a heavenly kingdom. It seems simple enough to us now, but those 70 disciples who were commissioned by Christ to be his spokesmen were laboring under the impression that Jesus was going to sit upon an earthly throne in Jerusalem. Essentially, they preached that the kingdom had come. It is similar to the “operation or error” that Jehovah’s Witnesses are laboring under presently.
But, of course, when Jesus was unexpectedly taken from them they were painfully disabused of their folly. And after his resurrection, before Jesus returned to heaven, he sternly rebuked them for being “senseless and slow in heart to believe all the things the prophets spoke.”
After the sudden turn of events the disciples were very fearful. But on the eventful day of Pentecost the 120 were anointed with God’s holy spirit. Instantly, they miraculously began witnessing in languages previously unknown to them. And Peter was transformed from previously having denied he even knew Christ to becoming a bold and fearless spokesman in behalf of Jesus. And though previously the apostle had been senseless and ignorant concerning the meaning of the prophets and had been unable to comprehend the message of the death and resurrection of the Messiah that Jesus espoused, he then began to expound upon the enigmatic prophecy of Joel and explain Christ’s resurrection by means of the Psalms. Such is the uplifting and transformative power of God’s holy spirit.
But, consider more closely the prophecy of Joel, which Peter cited to explain the Pentecost phenomenon. The passage the apostle quoted states: “And after that it must occur that I shall pour out my spirit on every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will certainly prophesy. As for your old men, dreams they will dream. As for your young men, visions they will see. And even on the menservants and on the maidservants in those days I shall pour out my spirit.”
It seems appropriate that Christianity begin in such dramatic fashion. Those 120 were the first born-again sons and daughters of Jehovah who are destined to rule the world. And the spirit that brought them to life manifested itself in a way that was beyond human capabilities.
But even though Peter was inspired to connect the prophecy of Joel to that occasion, the prophecy actually speaks to the conclusion of Christianity, not its inception. That is made evident by the context. “In those days” when the spirit is poured out is the immediate prelude to the world-ending, fear-inspiring day of Jehovah. Joel 2:30-31 reads: “And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.”
True, prior to the Pentecost outpouring Jehovah gave portents in the heavens and on earth. For example, in Jesus’ final hours God caused the sun to go dark at high noon. And when Jesus breathed his last breath Jehovah caused a great earthquake to rock Judea. And the massive curtain in the temple sanctuary was ripped apart. Those were certainly powerful portents. But, obviously, the actual day of Jehovah did not come about in the first century, or at any time since then.
Jesus also foretold that the sun and moon would cease to shine and the stars would fall from the heavens. And the opening of the 6th seal of Revelation also foretells the same cataclysmic events. To be sure this is symbolic imagery describing the sudden collapse of the present political and economic system, which is to occur during the conclusion of the system. But the point is, prior to the complete end of the wicked system there is to be a great outpouring of spirit similar to what occurred on Pentecost 33CE.
In the 13th chapter of Matthew Jesus also compared the harvest to a conclusion of a system of things. And as a result of the angels removing the wicked from Christ’s congregation Jesus foretold that the chosen ones will then shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. What might that entail?
In the eighth chapter of Romans Paul stated that all creation was waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. How might that come about?
The revealing of the sons of God will coincide with the manifestation or revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:1-3 explains: “See what sort of love the Father has given us, so that we should be called children of God; and such we are. That is why the world does not have a knowledge of us, because it has not come to know him. Beloved ones, now we are children of God, but as yet it has not been made manifest what we shall be. We do know that whenever he is made manifest we shall be like him, because we shall see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope set upon him purifies himself just as that one is pure.”
So, the chosen ones shining like the sun is no mundane affair. It will be a supernatural manifestation. No doubt this is what Joel is foretelling as well.
It is worth noting that the outpouring of holy spirit comes upon sons and daughters as well as menservants and maidservants. What is the distinction? The sons and daughters are those who are already anointed. Unlike on the day of Pentecost, those sons and daughters who are destined to receive the spirit during the conclusion are already anointed. The spirit seals them with God’s approval and transforms them into kings of the kingdom, even though they will still exist in the flesh for a short while.
The menservants and maidservants are representative of those who are not anointed sons and daughters but who will be blessed by God to survive the end of the world. The purpose of their receiving the full measure of the spirit is so that they may give a final witness to the world.
Also, the prophecy of Joel foretells that before the outpouring of spirit occurs the harvest will be lost. That means that the ministry in which Jehovah’s Witnesses are presently engaged will suddenly cease. It will cease because it will no longer be possible to carry it out in the customary fashion, and this because the Watchtower Society will cease to function. No longer will Jehovah’s Witnesses go knocking on doors and studying with people in their homes and tutor them. The harvest will be lost at that point. That is the message contained in Joel. (See article: The Day of Jehovah is Near!)
Not only will the Society cease as a publishing corporation but also when the authentic parousia commences Bethel will be completely discredited for having promoted a fraud in the name of Jehovah. As a result “many will be stumbled” and hate one another and betray one another. Amos 5:5-6 speaks to that situation, saying: “and as regards Bethel, it will become something uncanny. Search for Jehovah, and keep living, that he may not become operative just like fire…”
Those who search for Jehovah during that bleak period will be the ones whom Jehovah will favor with his spirit and they will then give the world a final witness concerning Christ having become king “and then the end will come.”
So, with the above in mind, to answer the question more directly regarding how this preaching work be carried out: It will come about by the chosen ones by means of Jehovah’s powerful spirit. The Watchtower Society will not be involved at all. For example, Jesus said that Christians would be hauled before governors and kings in order to give them a witness, but that they were not to rehearse beforehand what they might say, because what they were to say would be given them in that very hour by the spirit.
Who will respond to the final witness? People will respond by killing the messengers – literally!
Interestingly, Stephen provided a portent of the final witness to come. Stephen was full of holy spirit and the scripture says that his face even took on the appearance of an angel’s face. And Stephen saw Jesus in heaven, just as the chosen ones will see the manifestation of Christ. And as a result of Stephen bearing witness to the miraculous vision he received the Jews killed him.
Consider the final exploits of the king of the north: “But there will be reports that will disturb him, out of the sunrising and out of the north, and he will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will have to come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.”
Revelation 16:12 refers to preparing a way for “the kings from the rising of the sun.” Those kings are Christ and his 144,000 associate kings, who will be represented on earth by the seven- thousand chosen ones, who will at that time shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of Jehovah. At Isaiah 41:25 Christ is also depicted as coming upon the rulers of the world from out of the north and from the rising of the sun.
So, the “reports that will disturb him” and cause the king of the north to go into a genocidal rage will be the final witness given by the chosen ones who will “report” that they have seen Christ. (See article: The Visible Presence of Christ) He will plant his tent in the holy mountain of Decoration by killing off the chosen ones. (The holy mountain, also known as Mount Zion upon which stand Christ and the 144,000, represents the kingdom on earth)
By killing the sons of the kingdom the last earthly king will then come all the way to his end. Thus, the final witness will provoke Satan’s seed into their last dastardly act, thereby providing the justification for their own annihilation.
