I'm afraid I'm not at all convinced that the 1914 doctrine is specifically THE 'operation of error' that 2 Thess 2 talks about. 2 Thess 2 9: "But the lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents 10 and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved. 11 So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness."
Just letting the context interpret itself, I believe that any "powerful work and lying signs and portents and...unrighteous deception..." broadly constitutes 'an operation of error' that Satan has and will use to lead people away from the truth. When Paul says 'the lie' in verse 11 he is using it in a general, all-encompassing way to describe anything that would be one of the things he enumerates in verses 9 and 10. So I don't think the apostle Paul was making a specific 'time capsule' type prophecy that has found singular fulfillment in the 1914 teaching. The 1914 creed of JW's and all the wrong interpretations that revolve around acceptance of that belief are simply one kind of operation of error that has misled true Christians.
The context of the prophecy concerning the man of lawlessness had to do with Paul’s warning not to put faith in any sort of announcement to the effect that that the presence of Christ had already begun.
Paul specifically warned Christians not to believe even an “inspired expression” or any sort of verbal or written message, as though it came from the apostles, if it proclaimed that the day of Jehovah was here.
Paul was emphatic: The presence of Christ will not take place until the apostasy comes, first. Then, when the apostasy takes place Christ will expose the man of lawlessness within the spiritual temple of God as an immediate prelude to destroying him completely.
The question ought to be raised though: How does this wicked man of lawlessness infiltrate Christ’s congregation to the extent of actually influencing and controlling it?
Amazingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses have disregarded the apostle’s sage advice. We have absolutely believed the Watchtower’s “inspired expressions” concerning the 7 times and all of that rigmarole.
Through countless “verbal messages” delivered at conventions, assemblies and meetings and through the “written messages” printed by the Watchtower, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been seduced into believing that the awe-inspiring day of Jehovah began in 1914. The Society even has convinced the multitudes under her influence that Jehovah became king in 1914.
There is no question but that Jehovah’s Witnesses assume that the 1914 doctrine is unassailable—constituting it a powerful operation of error. But it is not just a bland doctrinal matter. The very authority of the Watchtower Society is inextricably tied to 1914. It is resolutely taught that Christ judged all religions in 1918 and gave his irrevocable approval to the Watchtower Society. Although they did not exist at the time, the modern institution of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses claims to have been appointed over all the master’s belongings in 1918-19. That gives them tremendous authority over the organization.
In practice it is essentially no different than the Catholic doctrine of Papal infallibility—except perhaps that it is even more cleverly packaged because it is seemingly backed by the authority of the Scriptures. The teaching that Christ has already judged and appointed the faithful slave over all his belongings has created the conditions that make it virtually impossible for any publisher to successfully question the Governing Body without them experiencing swift reprisals from the elders; who, themselves are trained to defend the organization above all else.
This teaching has allowed a man of lawlessness to operate under a cloak of righteousness.
I know from first hand experience. About a year ago when I was arguing my case before a judicial tribunal the one thing that the elders kept bringing back up over and over again is that since Christ appointed the slave over all the master’s belongings already anyone who questioned any of the slave’s doings is questioning Christ himself. In effect, the Watchtower has been given a blank check to spend as it pleases and the elders sign off on that check over and over again. No questions are ever asked by the loyal rank and file. That mindset blinds otherwise morally upright and spiritual men into overlooking all sorts of evil, such as the Watchtower atrocious mishandling of child abuse and Bethel’s spiritually adulterous NGO affair. No doubt the Society’s lawlessness in these matters is due to the influence of the man of lawlessness, who himself derives his ecclesiastical authority from the artfully contrived 1914 doctrine.
It must be pointed out that these things are not excusable as mere imperfections. The Society condemns Christendom for all sorts of similar sins yet excuses itself for practicing the very same things. That is not attributable to a false step or mere imperfection. It is gross hypocrisy and lawlessness – and it is tolerated only because of the authority the WT has acquired for itself due to the carefully-crafted myth that they are privy to Christ having secretly returned in 1914 in order to put them in charge of everything.
Given the fact that the Society's 1914 doctrine is in direct opposition to Paul's warning not to believe such seemingly inspired expressions -- no matter their source -- it is reasonable to conclude that the apostasy itself is rooted in the false announcement heralding that the presence of Christ has begun.
Please recall, too, that Jesus also specifially warned his followers that his presence would be preceded by those who falsely announced: "The due time has approached."
Yet, in spite of all the foregoing the Watchtower considers the 1914 teaching to be one of the absolute essentials of faith. No one can even be baptized who does not accept the teaching and baptized JWs who reject it are marginalized and even disfellowsipped. Contrary to the NGO affair or the policies of child abuse, which many JW's are not even aware of, the fact that a gross falsehood such as 1914 is included as an article of faith constitues a powerful operation of error that goes forth to those who otherwise know the truth.
Reasoning on the matter further: Jehovah’s Witnesses have been thoroughly convinced that Christ’s invisible presence began in 1914 – not only because of the chronological calculations – but even more convincingly, because of the perceived fulfillment of the biblical sign. While the Society’s Gentile times dogma was, of course, skillfully crafted by very clever men, the events that took place in 1914-1919 could not have been staged by mere men. The fact that the Watchtower’s prophetic expectations seem to have been confirmed by the profound and far-reaching events that erupted in 1914 underscores the influence of the Devil in performing powerful works and lying signs in order to convince the anointed that Christ has already come.
The man of lawlessness is made to appear as a brilliant oracle of God; who foresaw 1914 and all the details of prophecy decades before they unfolded. The true test will come when Christ actually arrives and denounces the organization that has given lodgment to the man of lawlessness. That is when each one’s love of the truth will be put to the fires of test. Sadly, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses will undoubtedly cling to the then-discredited Watchtower and refuse to accept Christ.
1 comment:
TO: EW
There the Eagles Will Be Gathered Together—When?
I have ordered your book and I have been examining its content daily. I find traditional reading preferable than reading from a computer screen, as the former allows for better concentration of the material at hand. I congratulate you for having put this book together for Jehovah’s glory as you have indicated. An unbiased reader will most certainly appreciate your having compiled this information for the reading public.
Thoughts are a product of the human mind, and since our mind is a product of the Great Designer, Jehovah God, we can only but give thanks to God for every good and beneficial thought that comes to our mind. It is like drawing water from a stream, the source of which is with Jehovah.
The idea is not to take credit for ourselves like Moses and Aaron did when they struck the rock from which water gushed out, enabling the wandering Israelites and their beasts of burden in the wilderness to quench their thirst. It was for the reason that Moses and Aaron did not sanctify Jehovah in the midst of the people in that regard that they were barred entry into the Promise Land.
So as we draw water for others to partake of, we do it responsibly, wisely and intelligently, knowing that we will render an account for how we use our freedom. As we draw water one unto another, we seek to quench our thirst, which means nothing more than satisfying our desire to draw close to God. It is as the book of Principle puts it: “By iron, iron itself is sharpened. So one man sharpens the face of another.” I can say for a certainty that my face is being sharpened as I consider the biblical information presented in your book “Jehovah Himself Has Become King.”
I do not see the validity of the charges that some are making as to your honesty in compiling the information presented in your book, when the resources are readily available, like “the waters of Meribah” and the “living water” that Christ talked about to the Samaritan woman at the well. All that a diligent researcher has to do is draw from these water sources skillfully in order to present thirst-quenching information through the skillful and competent use of God’s Word. When such information harmonizes with the Bible, God gets the credit, and that brings a smile to our face, sharpening it as it were; this is true with religion, science, history and other human endeavors.
I find agreement with the reasoning that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society may have wrongly and prematurely applied a large portion of prophecies to Christendom and 1914. Having analyzed your essays more thoroughly, it is reasonable to conclude that Christ’ coronation could still be a future event.
However, I believe that Jesus’ birth has relevance to Nebuchadnezzar tree dream in terms of the removal of the bands of copper and iron that were placed around the tree stump to prevent it from sprouting until seven prophetic times or 2520 years pass over it. How so?
The angel Gabriel helps us to piece this valuable clue together when announcing to Mary the birth of Jesus as recorded in Luke 1:32-33. It reads: “This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.”
So Christ birth appears to foreshadow the birth of the Kingdom as a “male child” in the heavens as reported in Revelation 12:4-5, which says: “And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne.” Notice in both instances a significant event is taking place in keeping with the Bible’s theme of God’s kingdom--the birth of Jesus and the birth of the male child in Revelation.
It is interesting to note, Jesus’ birth did not mean the immediate establishment of God’s kingdom. So to, the birth of the kingdom as represented by the male child did not mean the immediate establishment of God’s heavenly kingdom. It is no wonder that much of Jesus’ childhood is not presented in Scripture. However, there are some parallelism that can be established in Scripture having to do with events that transpired during Jesus’ early childhood, namely, the family’s flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath and determination to put Jesus to death.
The pangs of distress the world has been experiencing since 1914, is unlike any from previous generations. It is evident that Satan does not like the fact that the bands of iron and copper have been removed from the tree stump at that time, allowing it to sprout. He sees this as a preliminary threat to his own kingdom, much like Herod saw the birth of Jesus as a threat to his kingdom and sent soldiers to kill all the baby boys who were “two years of age and under.”
Concerning this event Matthew 2:17-18 reads: “Then that was fulfilled which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “A voice was heard in Ra'mah, weeping and much wailing; it was Rachel weeping for her children, and she was unwilling to take comfort, because they are no more.” However, Jesus escaped this fate, as his adoptive father, Joseph, followed Jehovah’s instruction through an angel to flee to Egypt with the child and its mother.
The children that were put to death, upon the order of Herod, may well illustrate anointed ones that were otherwise persecuted or put to death since Christ resurrection and the establishment of the Christian congregation; this includes Christians who were martyred during the two World Wars of the 20th century, up to those who are yet to be killed during the conclusion of the system of things. They have in common “Rachel” as their mother, likely symbolizing heavenly Jerusalem.
In this context we can understand Jesus’ words to his apostles concerning their argument among themselves as to “who is greater.” Jesus said the following as recorded in Mark 9:35-37: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and minister of all.” And he took a young child, stood it in their midst and put his arms around it and said to them: “Whoever receives one of such young children on the basis of my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives, not me only, but also him that sent me forth.”
Also we read the following from Matthew 19:13-15: Then young children were brought to him, for him to put his hands upon them and offer prayer; but the disciples reprimanded them. Jesus, however, said: “Let the young children alone, and stop hindering them from coming to me, for the kingdom of the heavens belongs to suchlike ones.”
In the symbolism of the dragon that “kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child,” Revelation 12:5 goes on to say: “And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne.”
Notice in this instance that the child is caught away to God into a safety zone, God’s “throne,” away from the dragon’s reach. This reminds us of God’s instruction to Joseph to flee into Egypt with Mary and the child Jesus. When we put this together with the removal of the band of iron and copper from the tree dream in the book of Daniel, it seems to correlate with the time allocated for the sprouting of the tree to grow to cover the whole earth with the time given for the male child Kingdom of God to become fully empowered or vested with authority to carry out God’s plan into its final stages.
In all likelihood, the verses that follow, in the 12th chapter of Revelation, take us to events transpiring during the great tribulation, a time of persecution, until finally the remaining ones of the woman’s seed, “who observed the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus,” comprising heavenly Jerusalem, are gathered to Christ, following their final sealing, sacrificial death and resurrection.
This must be what is symbolized by the “two wings of the great eagle,” given to the woman, allowing her seeds to gain entry into the spirit realm. This would seem to harmonize with the glorified Christ sending “forth his angels with a great trumpet sound, [for the gathering of] his chosen ones together from the four winds, from one extremity of the heavens to their other extremity.” -- Matthew 24:31.
A few verses above within the same context of his presence, Jesus alluded to eagles, saying in connection with his presence, in Matthew 24:28: “Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Seeing that the eagle is often used in Scripture figuratively or pictorially, it would seem appropriate to conclude that during this time of tumult, angels will be instrumental in Jehovah’s service, particularly as they pertain to the execution of God’s judgments either favorably or unfavorably.
Going back now to our subject matter concerning Jesus’ birth and its correlation with the “male child” representing God’s kingdom, it seems safe to conclude that the birth of the male child signals the removal of the bands of copper and iron from around the tree stump of Nebuchadnezzar’ tree dream. Reasonably, this tree representing God’s kingdom as exercised through the Davidic dynasty, has been sprouting possibly since 1914. As is now seems apparent such an event did not marked Christ’ coronation. Christ’ actual coronation as the Greater David seems to be a future event, possibly sometime after the great tribulation immediately preceding Armageddon, “in the final part of the days.”
Once more attention is being given to Christ kingdom, heralding his second coming and subsequent presence during the time of the end, when prophecies erroneously and prematurely applied to 1914 will find their actual fulfillment!
Because of the many false expectations we’ve had in part concerning Christ arrival and subsequent presence, many in that day will fail to stay awake, paying no note as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 24:37-42, revealing the prevailing attitude of people at that time: “For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming.”
CG
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