I have always believed that the Bible is God’s word. There are no other reliable sources of divine truth. Of course, hundreds of millions of people identify as Christians and claim to believe the Bible. Obviously, merely believing that the Bible is a sacred book does not necessarily equate to understanding it. As public ministers, Jehovah’s Witnesses have firsthand experience trying to teach people the basic truth. Even though they may claim to believe, they are steeped in Babylonish doctrines that they believe are taught in the Bible.
Although knowing the truth about the condition of the dead, God’s name, purpose, and the relationship between Jehovah and Jesus are essential, knowing some of the deeper things is also important. And in this, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been misled. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Jehovah’s Witnesses will ever see the light of truth since the deception emanates from the Watchtower itself. That is too strong a statement. Let me rephrase—it is highly unlikely that someone like me could ever disabuse the Governing Body of the powerful delusion that grips the institution. Needless to say, though, God can. And I am confident that he will, although it will be painful and traumatic.
The delusion is not merely 1914, but the very nature of the parousia. Not only has Christ’s parousia not begun, but it will not be invisible. It is easy to prove that something is invisible. At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseam, Jesus assured his disciples that he would be with them all the days until the conclusion of the system of things. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the conclusion of the system began in 1914. If that is true, can anyone explain how Christ’s relationship with Christians has changed?
What evidence is there that Christ came alongside anyone in any way that is in any respect different than the relationship that existed between the Lord and his subjects before 1914? In other words, isn’t Jesus merely with his disciples now as he said he would be during all the days leading up to the conclusion?
This supposed parousia is especially impossible to explain since C.T. Russell taught that the parousia began in 1874. Not until some years after 1914 did the Watchtower shift the beginning of the parousia from 1874 to 1914. It is easy to move an invisible phantasm around without anyone noticing.
The name of the book of Revelation suggests that something or someone previously hidden will be revealed. It is troubling that the Watchtower claims that all things have been revealed. Jesus said, “If the light that is in you is really darkness, how great that darkness is!” In other words, if we imagine that all things have been fulfilled when in reality nothing has, are we not in darkness as regards the things to come?
Let us jump right into Revelation: “The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth raised his right hand to heaven, and he swore by the One who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it: “There will be no delay any longer. But in the days when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the sacred secret that God declared as good news to his own slaves the prophets is indeed brought to a finish.” – Rev 10:5-7
The angel John saw in the vision is Jesus Christ, which the Watchtower has explained correctly. The vision is fulfilled when Christ comes to claim ownership over the earth and sea. As Lord of heaven and earth, Christ coming down and standing astride the earth and sea symbolizes this very thing. The question that ought to be foremost on the minds of all thinking Christians is whether this monumental event happened in 1914 or is still in our future. Surely, it is important to know.
If that question were posed to every one of Jehovah’s Witnesses individually, they would most likely respond that the Watchtower says it is true, so it has to be true. What else could they say? Denying 1914 is regarded as apostasy. And there you have it. But what if we were to use the power of our minds to reason? What if it is obviously evident that the Watchtower is wrong about 1914? Then you have a dilemma and no doubt some inner turmoil. How could the faithful slave be so wrong? Let us find out.
The truth is simple. Jehovah has allowed for an operation of Satan to go to those who otherwise know the truth in order to test their love of the truth when the time comes. This is undoubtedly true, as is evident by the angel’s revelation to John that “there will be no delay any longer.”
What honest person would say there had been no delay since 1914? If the angel made this announcement in 1914, who heard it? And if it was understood by some Bible Student back then, what was the point of such an announcement, given that all those Bible Students have long since passed away? And if the good news was brought to a finish in 1914, how can we explain the fact that the Watchtower was just in its infancy then and has, since then, over the course of more than a century, gone on to publish Bibles and Bible-based literature in hundreds and hundreds of languages? How could the good news have come to its finish in 1914 when the Bible Students did not even understand what the great crowd represents? Isn’t that the good news—that a great crowd will survive the end of the world?
It is most noteworthy that when Christ comes, he will find that some of those who had been appointed to feed the domestics their food at the proper time will have behaved unfaithfully, motivated by an inner voice that said: “My master is delaying.” Since even the Watchtower now recognizes that the master has not come, here is another question for thinking Christians: If the Lord announced in 1914 or whenever that “there will be no delay any longer,” how is it that when Christ finally comes, the wicked slave will be punished for faithlessly accusing his master of delaying? Ironically, the reason the evil slave concludes that his master is delaying is because of the operation of Satan that has convinced him that the master has already come over a century ago! Why is it impossible for Jehovah’s Witnesses to admit the obvious?
What is most noteworthy about what John experienced is his interaction with the angel who swore there would be no delay any longer, as revealed in the concluding span of verse: “And I heard the voice out of heaven speaking again with me and saying: “Go, take the opened scroll that is in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the earth.” I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. He said to me: “Take it and eat it up, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet like honey.” I took the little scroll out of the hand of the angel and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet like honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me: “You must prophesy again about peoples and nations and tongues and many kings.”
First, if Christ handed this little scroll to the so-called John class after the First World War and assigned them to prophesy again, should we not at least expect those assigned messengers to deliver a message other than the good news? After all, in context, Christ handed the little scroll to John after it was announced that the good news had been brought to a finish. Although the Watchtower claims they are delivering a judgment message now, it is undeniable that the most prominent message is the good news. Can it be both? Not according to what we read in the 10th chapter of Revelation. First, the good news is brought to a finish, and only afterward is John ordered to prophesy again to many peoples, tongues, nations, and many kings.
And that brings up another interesting question. In what way have Jehovah’s Witnesses preached to many kings? This question is all the more relevant since Jesus specifically said that during the conclusion, the chosen ones will be brought before governors and kings to give them a witness. Have any anointed Christians been made to stand before world rulers and give their testimony? We are not talking about being represented by a lawyer. Jesus said not to rehearse beforehand how to give a reply because the holy spirit would be speaking. If you are honest, you know nothing like that has happened in modern times.
So, what is the significance of the vision portrayed in the 10th chapter of Revelation? It is no coincidence that John had this experience. John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. John, along with his brother, James, and Peter, had the extraordinary experience of seeing Christ in glory on the Mount of the Transfiguration. Peter later explained that it was not by fabricating artfully contrived false stories that the apostles acquainted us with the power and parousia of Christ, but by having been an eyewitness to his magnificent presence. So, John and the others were eyewitnesses to a preview of the parousia. It is as though Peter knew that someone would fabricate artfully contrived false stories, such as precisely what the Watchtower has done with their invisible parousia myth.
The Watchtower has contributed something useful, though—the designation of the “John class.” Of course, no such John class exists now. But when Christ comes and the parousia begins, the chosen will see him as he really is. Then, the “John class” will come into existence. And then there will be no longer be a delay. Christ, in his magnificent glory, will commission them to be his witnesses. That is when they will prophesy again before many people and kings, giving their eyewitness testimony that they have seen the Lord of heaven and earth. And their message will be backed up by the seven thunders of God Almighty.
