Wednesday, September 30

I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. —Luke 4:6.

Satan and the demons use not only governments but also false religion and the commercial system to mislead “the entire inhabited earth.” (Rev. 12:9) Through false religion, Satan promotes lies about Jehovah. In addition, the Devil seems determined to make as many people as possible forget God’s name. (Jer. 23:26, 27) As a result, sincere individuals who think that they are worshipping God are deceived into worshipping demons. (1 Cor. 10:20; 2 Cor. 11:13-15) Satan also promotes lies through the commercial system. For example, this system often teaches people that the best way to be happy is to pursue money and gather many possessions. (Prov. 18:11) Those who believe this lie spend their lives serving “Riches” rather than God. (Matt. 6:24) Eventually, their love of material things can choke any love they had for God. —Matt. 13:22; 1 John 2:15, 16w18.05 23 ¶6-7

Jesus said that the Devil was a liar and the father of the lie. Even what Satan said to Jesus in his temptation is not entirely true. It is true that Satan has been given authority over the nations. But has he been given all authority, as is implied? Clearly not. Consider the account in Daniel when the angel came to reveal to the aged prophet the things to come concerning the kings of the north and south. The angel stated: “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede I stood up as a strengthener and as a fortress to him. And now what is truth I shall tell to you.”

Just think of the implications. Yes, Persia is one of the great empires that has ruled over God’s people, and yet an angel of Jehovah intervened to politically strengthen a pagan king in order to benefit the Jews and accomplish God’s purpose to have Jerusalem rebuilt. Just as Jesus demonstrated that he had authority over the demons when he was on earth, he has now been given all authority over all the kingdoms in Satan’s domain. The reality is, the Devil cannot do anything unless he is permitted by Christ.

Hence, Christ and his angels have heretofore prevented the demons from establishing a tyrannical world government, which has been the intention of the most powerful and influential men in Satan’s empire. However, at some point in the not too distant future, Christ will lift the restraint. That will be when Satan is thrown down from heaven —resulting in woe for the earth and sea.

There is another aspect to consider. While God has imposed restraints upon the evil principalities in the world, preventing them from snuffing out the light of truth altogether, conversely, the demons have been allowed to exercise a measure of influence over the light-bearers. That is evident in ever so many ways —some hardly detectable. But take note of the sleight-of-hand technique used in the Daily Text. The WT merely states: “sincere individuals who think that they are worshipping God are deceived into worshipping demons.” Jehovah’s Witnesses will nod in agreement. Sincere Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, whatever, have been deceived by the demons. There is no dispute. However, take note of the cited verse —2 Corinthians 11:13-15, which states: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works.”

The men whom Paul was exposing as agents of Satan were prominent men in the Corinthian congregation. That is why in the preceding verse Paul said: “But what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to eliminate the pretext of those who are wanting a basis for being found equal to us in the things about which they boast.”

Those who had disguised themselves as anointed ministers were undoubtedly polished orators in the Greek tradition. They wanted to pass themselves off as apostles. That is why they denigrated Paul as having a weak personnel presence and a contemptible public speaker. Through these pretenders, Satan was posing as an angel of light right within Christ’s congregation in Corinth. Obviously, the head of the congregation, Jesus Christ, could have evicted them with a word, like he often expelled demons when he walked the earth; instead, he used Paul to expose them while evidently allowing the phony apostles to remain in positions of influence.

Paul expressed his deep concern that somehow as the serpent had seduced Eve by his cunning, the Corinthians might be corrupted by the satanic presence among them.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are in a similar position today. The Governing Body has made every effort to portray the organization as a spiritual paradise. Satan only exists on the outside —in the world, or so we have been led to believe. If that is not the case, why would they cite the passage regarding the disguised agents of Satan and pretend that it applies to false religion when the context clearly indicates that the corrupt element was within an anointed congregation? Have Jehovah’s Witnesses had their powers of reason anesthetized to the point that they are unable to detect deception when they see it?

Like the superfine apostles in Corinth, the Governing Body has cleverly exalted itself to the same office as the apostles. (See article: Those Who Say They Are Apostles)

In his second inspired letter to the Thessalonians, Paul warned of an operation of Satan that would be directed towards those who know the truth. After all, Satan does have the world under his influence. We should not doubt that. His target is those who are in the truth —specifically, those who have been called into union with Christ. Regarding the operation of Satan Paul explained that it would involve false proclamations declaring that the day of the Lord is here —that the parousia has begun.

At 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 Paul wrote: “However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things?”

I have written about these things for many years. The man of lawlessness is a false apostle. Jesus referred to the apostle Judas as the son of destruction —linking the man of lawlessness to a faction within Christ’s congregation, which is likened to a spiritual temple. Whereas the Watchtower teaches that the man of lawlessness is the clergy who merely, falsely claim to reside within God’s temple, Paul indicates otherwise.

As regards the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is only one organization in the world that has issued a constant stream of seemingly inspired statements and published letters in the form of magazines, books, and pamphlets, evoking apostolic authority as the faithful and discreet slave and the Ezekiel class, etc., declaring that the day of the Lord is here.

(Although there is some evidence that the YHWH appeared in the early Greek manuscripts and it is highly unlikely that the apostles omitted God’s name when quoting from Hebrew passages where the Tetragrammation appears, there are some verses in the NWT where the use of Jehovah is questionable. In the verse quoted above regarding the parousia of Jesus, Paul may have originally referred to the day of the Lord, such as he did at 1 Corinthians 5:5. In any case, the Watchtower used to claim that the day of Jehovah began in 1914 and they still proclaim that the Lord’s day began in 1914.)

Just as Christ has prevented Satan from using the nations under his influence to crush Christianity, the Lord has not permitted the man of lawlessness from overly influencing his earthly organization. Paul indicated that there is a restraint no doubt exerted by faithful brothers. In the Lord’s due time those acting as a restraint will be taken out of the way. Then the apostasy will begin and the man of lawlessness with be revealed and destroyed.

“The mystery of this lawlessness is already at work,” wrote the apostle.  In what sense? In the first century, the superfine apostles come to mind. However, Paul places himself as among the living when the parousia begins. In fact, in his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul said “we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord.” —1 Thess. 4:15

Since Paul is among the living in a representative way, the mystery of this lawlessness becomes manifest —not in the first century, but immediately before the authentic parousia. From that standpoint certainly, the false declarations that the day of the Lord has begun has been underway since the beginning of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society; but more recently, the mystery of this lawlessness has surfaced evidenced by the Watchtower’s illicit partnership with the United Nations, the immoral and disgusting persecution of sexually abused children and the sell-off of hundreds of properties dedicated to God.

It is especially noteworthy that there has been a masonic presence within the Watchtower from the very beginning as well. The upper levels of masonry are cloaked in mystery. No doubt the collective man of lawlessness is a cult of demon-worshippers steeped in masonic mysteries who have disguised themselves as anointed Christians and who are ensconced in influential positions within the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because their disguise is so effective only Christ can reveal the presence of Satan’s son of destruction, which he will do in due time. 

And now with the shutdown of the worldwide work, it appears as if the apostasy that comes first has now begun. Come, Lord Jesus. 

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