Christendom: A zeal for inaccurate knowledge

Christendom is those of whom “the inspired utterance says definitely” will, “in later periods of time”, “…will fall away from the faith”. Christendom fell away a long time ago. Christendom is not Jehovah’s people, or “household”, whom the anointed “slaves” are appointed over to feed.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. – Romans 10:2-3


The apostle Paul admired the Jews, somewhat, because “they have a zeal for God”. However, he said, “but not according to accurate knowledge”. No for, the Jews were no longer the true faith. Why? Because they accepted God but then rejected his Son. They were also “seeking to establish their own [righteousness]” though their many thousands of oral laws. So while this was done out of Zeal for God – an admirable quality – they were no longer the true faith. They were no longer Jehovah’s people. They rejected Christ, so their worship of God was based upon inaccurate knowledge and they no longer had any special relationship with Jehovah.

Today, the situation is similar with Christendom, although the other way around. While they accept Christ, they reject his and our God. In fact, they commit a disgusting blasphemy by saying Jesus Christ is God – a blasphemy that becomes more obscene when they fuse Christ with a pagan trinity. Their worship of “God” is based upon inaccurate knowledge and they ceased to have any special relationship with Jehovah sometime during the foretold ‘Great Apostasy’.

Let’s imagine that the apostle Paul was miraculously transported into the future – to our day.

· What would he think about the Christian religions today?

· Would he believe that Christendom is Jehovah’s people – as the 1st century Congregation was?

· Would he believe that Christendom’s various sects and churches are the “household” of Christ, of whom the anointed feed?

I do not believe so.

The foretold apostasy

The apostle Paul warned that eventually the congregations would turn to apostasy, they would fall away from the true faith. That is what happened, and the result is that those sects and religions continue in their apostate state to this very day. Far from Christendom being the household of Jesus Christ, everyone back in the late Roman era stood up and left the house to serve another master – they apostatised, just as the apostles predicted.

So what would the apostle Paul say when looking at Christendom? I think he would look upon them and after some time comment that “they have a zeal for God”, and then add, “…but not according to accurate knowledge”. He would not believe they are Jehovah’s people (as featured in prophecy), nor would he believe that they are the spiritual Israel of God like the 1st century congregation. In fact, he would see exactly what he predicted – apostasy, apostasy, and more apostasy!

· Firstly, he would see that they adopted a pagan trinity very similar to the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian trinities he was familiar with as a 1st century Roman.

· He would see the “Christians” using the same pagan cross icon that existed in his day among the pagan religions of Rome and Egypt.

· He would see Christendom teaching the immortality of the soul – something Paul would also be familiar with from his day, as it was popular among the Greek philosophical schools of his day.

· He would learn how Christendom fought for years to eradicate the name of Jehovah (YHWH) and even removed it from the Bible – a name which he, as a former Jew, regarded with the utmost importance. –See Romans 10:13-14

· He would see how they supported wars and involve themselves in politics, just like the pagan religions in his day.

· He would further see that some “Christians” are “forbidding to marry”, as he predicted would happen.

· He would read in history books how Christendom has shaped and designed the political and national landscape. Appointing monarchs, being part of the ruling elite, blessing crusades, carving up nations, etc.

Christendom is those of whom “the inspired utterance says definitely” will, “in later periods of time”, “…will fall away from the faith”. Christendom fell away a long time ago. Christendom is not Jehovah’s people, or “household”, whom the anointed “slaves” are appointed over to feed. They are an integral and intimate part of Satan’s system – they are not Jehovah’s people, and by their actions they are entirely opposed to revealing the truth about Jehovah God.

Preventing people being saved

The apostle Paul also said that God desired “that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Christendom does not supply anything like “accurate knowledge of truth” so that people will “be saved”. No, for “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved” says the scriptures – yet Christendom claims that the name of God isn’t even important!

Christendom actively prevents persons from coming to the accurate knowledge and being saved. By teaching numerous lies about the very nature of God, his name, and his purpose, Christendom is a tool of Satan – it has actively prevented the worship of the true God Jehovah for hundreds of years by stamping out his name and locking up his word, and continues to oppose him to this very day.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, do have accurate knowledge about God. For a start, they know who Jehovah God is, while Christendom continues living its pagan fantasy. Jehovah’s people do not have any paganism in their worship, and they uphold the name of Jehovah God more than any other religion – as would be expected, for Jehovah’s people.

True worship is back again

Today, we see the reign of the 7th King of Bible prophecy, Anglo-America, continue to dominate the world. This king will only be in place for a “short while” according to Revelation 17:10. Already the infrastructure of the final 8th King is in place – waiting for its “one hour” of rule (Revelation 17:12). At this critical point, prior to the start of Jesus presence, only Jehovah’s Witnesses fit the requirements of a people for Jehovah. Although the original Christian congregation all fell away into apostasy, worship of the true God has emerged once again. Jehovah has a people for his name – just as prophecy said there would exist prior to the Time of the End.

What Jehovah’s people don’t realise, however, is that when Jesus presence starts soon, Jehovah’s Son will come to cleanse and discipline his people. Like the fire of a refiner and the lye of laundrymen, Jesus will clean out all the wicked slaves from his household, and he will remove all the weeds from his field of wheat. The “man of lawlessness” who rules among the anointed will be revealed and done away with. An “operation of error” will be exposed, and a “whitewashed wall” of false prophecy will crash down.

In the meantime, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses have the title of being the only people on earth to worship Jehovah God “according to accurate knowledge” of him, unlike the squabbling sects of Christendom with their Babylonian paganism and Greek philosophy.

However, the distinction that Jehovah’s people have is a bitter-sweet one. For on the one hand it means we can worship and teach others about the true God – a real God that actually exists. On the other hand, though, we must experience Jehovah’s discipline. For the one “Jehovah loves he disciplines; in fact, he scourges every one whom he receives as a son”.

Ezekiel 38 and 39: Armageddon

The dead are everywhere. Men are “continuously” employed to bury the corpses. Birds of prey are invited to come and feast on them. Ezekiel made the most detailed and chilling account of Armageddon in the scriptures. Yet, this prophecy is rarely mentioned and often overlooked.

The dead are everywhere. Men are “continuously” employed to bury the corpses. Birds of prey are invited to come and feast on them.  That dark day will be remembered and recounted for the rest of time.

Jehovah’s prophet Ezekiel was inspired to make the most detailed and chilling account of Armageddon anywhere in the scriptures. Yet, this prophecy is rarely mentioned and often overlooked. Why?

The timing of events featured so prominently in the prophecy calls for Jehovah’s worshippers to be devastated and then symbolically brought back to life – all directly before the day of Armageddon. It does not allow it to be decades previously, i.e. during the 1914-1919 period, as we presently believe and teach, but almost directly beforehand.

Before we begin, let’s briefly consider what Ezekiel has to say regarding the desolation and miraculous regathering of Jehovah’s people.

“I myself, Jehovah, have built the things torn down”

Jehovah’s name-sake people go into Babylon-like captivity and exile. The cities of “Judah” become “devastated places” because of Jehovah’s “cleansing you from all your errors”. In fact, “it had become a desolate waste before the eyes of every passerby”. —Ezekiel 36:33, 34

However, in time “people will certainly say: ‘That land yonder which was laid desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the cities that were a desolate waste … are fortified; they have become inhabited.’” —Ezekiel 36:35

Indeed, like many other prophecies, Ezekiel too tells of a time when the Israelites will be restored to their homeland. Jehovah, through Joel, similarly said “I will make compensation to you for … my great military force that I have sent among you. And you will certainly eat, eating and becoming satisfied, and you will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah your God”. —Joel 2:25

These prophecies have a dual fulfilment. The minor fulfilment took place when the Jews returned to their homeland after the decree of Persian King Cyrus. The major fulfilment applies to Spiritual Israel in the time of the end, as spoken of in Revelation, when Jehovah’s people are devastated for a period of three-and-a-half years but then miraculously restored.

Hence, in these ancient prophecies, Israel, Judah and Jerusalem represent the modern organized worshippers of Jehovah – spiritual Israel, or the “Israel of God”. —Galatians 6:15, 16

What a remarkable final fulfilment it will be! For Jehovah says that at that time “I shall multiply them like a flock with men. Like a flock of holy persons, like the flock of Jerusalem in her festal seasons, thus the cities that had been a waste will become full of a flock of men; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah” (Ezekiel 36:37, 38). Indeed, Zechariah adds “It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” —Zechariah 8:23

Dem Dry Bones

To emphasise to Ezekiel just how miraculous the restoration of Jehovah’s people will be, in vision “the hand of Jehovah” transports Ezekiel to the “midst of the valley plain, and it was full of bones”. Ezekiel inspects the bones “and, look! there were very many… and, look! they were very dry.”

Imagine the scene – Ezekiel has been transported, all alone, to a wide valley plain where scattered human bones surround him. Perhaps there is a smell of death in the air, with a chilling cold breeze blowing across the valley floor. As if this scene isn’t frightening enough, Jehovah now commands Ezekiel to do something which would no doubt send a shiver down anyone’s spine.

He said “Prophesy over these bones, and you must say to them, ‘O you dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah… Here I am bringing into you breath, and you must come to life.” Then, right before Ezekiel’s eyes, “upon them sinews themselves and flesh itself came up and skin began to be overlaid upon them above”. How frightening! —Ezekiel 37:4, 5, 8

After blowing life into the rebuilt corpses, “they began to live and stand upon their feet, a very, very great military force.” Imagine that! You’re all alone in a strange place, surrounded by death; then gradually the skeletons are reconstituted bit by bit, sinew by sinew, before your very eyes; they all come back to life, get up on their feet, and before you know it a very large “military force” of the living dead surround you!

But who does this great military force represent? Jehovah answers, “Son of man, as regards these bones, they are the whole house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:11) Yes, they represent Jehovah’s people – fully revived after their devastation.

Indeed, this is confirmed by the next comments, that “one king is what all of them will come to have”. For about 250 years the Jews had two kings – one for the northern Kingdom of Israel, and one for the southern Kingdom of Judah. However, after the nation’s restoration, they were no longer divided. Yet Jehovah also prophesied “my servant David will be king over them” and “David my servant will be their chieftain to time indefinite”. This could not –and did not— happen in the initial fulfilment. Nor could it happen in the modern-day State of Israel founded in 1948. No, for this prophecy has its major fulfilment in the spiritual “Israel of God”.

Jehovah concludes the vision of the dry bones by saying “I will conclude with them a covenant of peace; an indefinitely lasting covenant… And my tabernacle [or, tent] will actually prove to be over them, and I shall certainly become their God, and they themselves will become my people. And the nations will have to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying Israel” (Ezekiel 37: 26-28). How similar this is to Revelation 21:3 “Look! The tent [or, tabernacle] of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them.”

Yes, after the attack of the King of the North (the future United Nations) and spending some time in devastation, the Israel of God will be restored. Now that the Judgement that “starts first with us” (1 Peter 4:17) has begun, and our judgement is complete, what next?

Satan’s world takes note of our miraculous restoration, and gears up to attack us a second time… but Jehovah is watching. Yes, the judgement of the nations – Armageddon – is about to begin!

Gog of Magog

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.  —Ezekiel 38:1, 2

Let’s solve a mystery. Who is Gog?

We are not aware of any person from antiquity who had the name of ‘Gog’. Ezekiel only reveals he is of the land of “Magog” and he is the “head chieftain” of at least two additional lands called “Meshech and Tubal”. However, this prophecy cannot be talking about the activities of an ancient man among ancient nations. No, for this prophecy was never fulfilled by any known attack on Israel by these nations, and the prophecy itself states that it is for “the final part of the days”. —Ezekiel 38:16

It is not certain where the land of Magog was, if it existed at all. The ancient historian Josephus suggests that Magog may have been to the north of Palestine, perhaps in the area of the Scythian tribes.

What about Meshech and Tubal? Meshech was one of the grandsons of Noah who settled to the North of Palestine. As was the custom, the lands were named after whoever settled there first. Similarly, some archaeological evidence points to Tubal having been “situated (at least in Assyrian times) to the NE of Cilicia in eastern Asia Minor”, which is also north of Palestine. —Insight vol. II, page 1,133

So the lands “Gog” is head chieftain over are all to the North of Palestine. In Bible prophecy, this is very significant! Why?

The Babylonian and Assyrian armies who came to execute Jehovah’s judgements were all spoken of as coming from “the north”. Likewise, in the prophecy of the time of the end in Daniel, the “King of the North” conquers spiritual Israel: “the king of the north will storm with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships… He will also actually enter into the land of the Decoration”. —Daniel 11:41

We believe this King of the North represents the future totalitarian United Nations. Fittingly enough, this chapter of Ezekiel paints “Gog of Magog” as being head over a large multilateral task-force composed of the armies of multiple nations. Later it speaks of both northern and southern nations as being under his control.

So does this mean that “Gog of Magog” is the United Nations? No, not exactly. Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 and 8 can give us some more information. There it speaks of events after the thousand-year reign of Christ: “Now as soon as the thousand years have been ended, Satan will be let loose out of his prison, and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war.”

So Gog of Magog seems to be Satan the Devil, as “the chieftain” over his human cohorts, in a united coalition of nations.

Now Jehovah tells Ezekiel what to say next:

And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Gog, you head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal. And I shall certainly turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and bring you forth with all your military force, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in perfect taste, a numerous congregation, with large shield and buckler, all of them handling swords; —Ezekiel 38:3, 4b

Jehovah, comparing Satan’s international task force with a beast, will put hooks in its jaws and bring it before him.

However, Gog’s force is no mere animal, nor is it a ram-shackle and weak army  that can be easily destroyed. No, for this is a highly advanced and professional force. Men handling swords, large shields, bucklers (small shields), and horses may not sound like an advanced and formidable army by today’s standards; in ancient times the use of horses, swords, and shields were the tools of a highly organized, technologically advanced and well-funded army.

Additionally, they are all “clothed in perfect taste”. The Assyrian army was earlier described in Ezekiel as being “clothed with perfect taste, cavalrymen riding horses —desirable young men all of them”. Jerusalem, symbolically represented as a woman, was said to be so impressed with them that she prostituted herself so she could sleep with them.

Hence, this verse is emphasising how formidable, massive, organized, and fear-inspiring is Gog’s army.

Interestingly, the soldiers in this army are not only from the north:

Persia, Ethiopia and Put [is] with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; —Ezekiel 38:5

So, not only is Gog (who is coming from the North) chieftain of many northern kingdoms and their armies, but he also commands control over additional lands and their armies, including those of the south!

Persia is to the south-east of Palestine, Ethiopia is to the direct south, and Put is to the south-west.

Ezekiel now lists additional other northern lands under the control if Gog:

Gomer and all its bands, the house of Togarmah, of the remotest parts of the north, and all its bands, many peoples with you. —Ezekiel 38:6

From both the north and the south, Gog has forces in all directions – a truly multinational taskforce. The Insight book makes an interesting observation, that “Gog’s role, therefore, is as commander of a massive assault force that applies tremendous pressures designed to crush Jehovah’s people as though they were in a vice”.

Jehovah now speaks directly to Gog:

“Be ready, and let there be preparation on your part, you with all your congregation, those congregated alongside you, and you must become their guard.” —Ezekiel 38:7

Gog, who is already the chieftain over these nations, is to also become their “guard”. An army chieftain who commands and guards his army will not simply try to bring about their suicidal destruction. No, for Gog wants to win the battle, regardless of how hopeless it may be. He wants to go down fighting!

In fact, Gog will do some “preparation” for the coming battle. Since Gog’s united multinational force – the future United Nations – does not come into existence until early in the Time of the End, we can expect Satan to secretly prepare for the battle of Armageddon as soon as he is thrown to earth.

Eventually, however…

“After many days you will be given attention. In the final part of the years you will come to the land of people brought back from the sword, collected together out of many peoples, onto the mountains of Israel, that have proved to be a constantly devastated place; even a land that has been brought forth from the peoples, where they have dwelt in security, all of them. And you will be bound to come up. Like a storm you will come in. Like clouds to cover the land you will become, you and all your bands and many peoples with you.” —Ezekiel 38:8, 9

Yes, after many days Gog will approach Israel, a people “brought back from the sword, collected together out of many peoples”. They are, of course, Jehovah’s modern worshippers who have been regathered after their three-and-a-half years of turmoil.

As we can see, the prophecy leaves no room for claiming the people who were “brought back from the sword” experienced their restoration over eighty years previously, during the 1914-1918 period. Indeed, most of those who were alive then are now dead. A miniscule percentage of Jehovah’s Witnesses alive today were “brought back” from that experience.

We as Witnesses may be from “many peoples”, over 200 lands in fact, but we have not come to Jehovah’s organized worship after being exiled and then experiencing a miraculous restoration.

Jehovah now goes on to speak about Gog:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘And it must occur in that day that things will come up into your heart, and you will certainly think up an injurious scheme; and you must say: “I shall go up against the land of open rural country. I shall come in upon those having no disturbance, dwelling in security, all of them dwelling without wall, and they do not have even bar and doors.” —Ezekiel 38:10, 11

Jehovah’s people have been miraculously regathered – but not without Satan’s notice. Their previous physical and spiritual devastation has been turned around to spiritual prosperity. Indeed, at this time Satan’s world is a globe divided between two opposing viewpoints: those who accept Jesus Christ as the new King, and those who accept Satan’s counterfeit kingdom. As Jehovah’s restored people are the only ones refusing to submit to Satan’s rule, they must be eliminated.

Satan will “think up an injurious scheme” to accomplish this, or as the Modern King James Version renders it, Gog “shall devise an evil plan”.

Part of his ‘evil plan’ is this:

It will be to get a big spoil and to do much plundering, in order to turn your hand back upon devastated places reinhabited and upon a people gathered together out of the nations, one that is accumulating wealth and property, those who are dwelling in the centre of the earth. —Ezekiel 38:12

Yes, part of the evil plan will involve plundering the wealth from Jehovah’s regathered people. Satan’s forces did the same thing to the worlds religions shortly prior to this. For in carrying out Jehovah’s scheme, the world governments ate “her fleshy parts” – yes, the fleshy, or fatty, parts of Babylon the Great, signifying her wealth and property. They think they will similarly benefit by doing the same thing to us. —Revelation 17:16

The world will have reason for confidence. The false religions that Gog previously destroyed were large, influential, rich, and powerful institutions. However, Jehovah’s people will not be as large, influential, rich, or powerful. As previously said, they are an “open rural country… of them dwelling without wall, and they do not have even bar and doors.” What an easy target!

However, exactly what wealth would we possess? How much wealth and property could Jehovah’s recently restored people really have? It is difficult to imagine us possessing much, if anything.

Even if we do not possess anything other than our personal wealth and property, the nations will be sure to get everything possible out of us, just as they plundered and ate the “fleshy parts” of all the other religious followers during Babylon’s destruction.

“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its mained young lions—they will say to you: “Is it to get a big spoil that you are coming in? Is it to do much plundering that you have congregated your congregation, in order to carry off silver and gold, to take wealth and property, to get a very great spoil?”” —Ezekiel 38:13

Yes, the major merchants of the earth, including the most ruthless money-makers, represented as “mained young lions”, will be enquiring of Gog’s plans. No doubt they will be very interested in seeing what they can get out of it.

After their regathering, Jehovah’s people will be preaching to the world that the “signs in the heavens” signify the coming of the Son of Man for Armageddon (Luke 21:25). Then, it will “be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” —Zechariah 8:23

Just as the Israelites left Egypt with “a vast mixed company” (Exodus 12:38), so too will the remaining ones of Jehovah’s regathered people will be ushered through Armageddon with many people “of the nations”. No doubt these newly supportive worshippers of Jehovah will also be eyed by Gog for plundering.

Jehovah now speaks:

“Therefore prophesy, O son of man, and you must say to Gog, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Will it not be in that day when my people Israel are dwelling in security that you will know it? And you will certainly come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great congregation, even a numerous military force.”” —Ezekiel 38:14, 15

Yes, Gog will certainly notice Jehovah’s regathered people, and Gog’s attack is inevitable.

Some may ask: if Satan and the demons know they are going to be defeated and imprisoned for a thousand years, why deliberately fulfil their own prophecy of doom?

Revelation says that Satan (and, presumably his demons too) will be thrown down to earth “having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.” The demons will be full of anger, wishing to inflict it on as many other people as possible. Additionally, we know that the demons take pleasure in the death and suffering of living things. In Matthew, “the demons began to entreat him [Jesus], saying: “If you expel us, send us forth into the herd of swine.” Accordingly he said to them: “Go!” They came out and went off into the swine; and, look! the entire herd rushed over the precipice into the sea and died in the waters.” —Matthew 8:31, 32

Their great anger and perversive love of pain means their attacking Jehovah’s people is an irresistible compulsion. In other words, if Satan is ‘going down’, he will make sure he takes as many people as possible down with him.

“And you will be bound to come up against my people Israel, like clouds to cover the land. In the final part of the days it will occur, and I shall certainly bring you against my land, for the purpose that the nations may know me when I sanctify myself in you before their eyes, O Gog.” —Ezekiel 38:16

Why would Jehovah even allow Gog, or Satan, to “come up against” his recently regathered people? So that “the nations may know me”, says Jehovah. Yes, Jehovah will “sanctify” himself before everyone.

Some brothers and sisters wonder if those destroyed at Armageddon will know why or by whom they are to be wiped out. Ezekiel makes it very clear that the world will most certainly know! Indeed, Jesus said that “the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Yes, the people of Earth will even see signs in heaven, and along with this, Jehovah’s regathered people are preaching that the end is nigh!

Mankind will know exactly what is happening, why and from whom.

Jehovah now speaks to Gog:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Are you the same one of whom I spoke in the former days by the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel, who were prophesying in those days—years—as to bringing you in upon them?’” —Ezekiel 38:17

Yes, the prophets of old also talked of Gog in previous prophecies. Except then, they talked of Satan’s multinational crowd being permitted to desolate Jehovah’s people.

Gog is the same entity as the King of the North who desolates Jehovah’s people. Just as a future United Nations will trample on the spiritual “Israel of God”, the same entity is used by Satan to attack us, but for a second time after our restoration.

What will be Jehovah’s response to this second, unsanctioned, attack?

“‘And it must occur in that day, in the day when Gog comes in upon the soil of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘that my rage will come up into my nose. And in my ardour, in the fire of my fury, I shall have to speak. Surely in that day a great quaking will occur in the soil of Israel.” —Ezekiel 38:18, 19

Jehovah will be enraged!

This attack will not be permitted to happen by any means. Speaking of Jehovah’s great anger, the prophet Nahum says “Jehovah is taking vengeance and is disposed to rage. Jehovah is taking vengeance against his adversaries” (Nahum 1:2). Indeed, “our God is also a consuming fire”. —Hebrews 12:29

And because of me the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the wild beasts of the field and all the creeping things that are creeping on the ground and all mankind that are upon the surface of the ground will be bound to shiver, and the mountains will actually be thrown down and the steep ways will have to fall, and to the earth even every wall will fall.’ —Ezekiel 38:20

Every creature on earth will know something is wrong. All creation will “shiver” from fright. Similarly, Jesus said, “men [will] become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth”. —Luke 21:26

Additionally, the “mountains” will be thrown down. Mountains can represent Governments and human institutions in prophecy (for example, the seven world powers are referred to as “seven mountains” in Revelation 17:9, 10). Yet not only will large ‘mountains’ see destruction, but even the “steep ways” (perhaps paths and roadways between cities in the rugged Palestinian terrain), and the “walls” (probably referring to the walls around cities) will also fall down.

Human institutions will cease to exist, lines of communication will be broken, and protective city walls will fall down.

Then what?

“‘And I will call forth against him throughout all my mountainous region a sword,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.’” —Ezekiel 38:21

Gog’s crowd has covered the mountains of spiritual “Israel” like a cloud. Gathered together, Jehovah will then send in his sword after them.

Who will carry this sword to the slaughter? Revelation 19:11, 15, 16 answers, “look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True… And out of his mouth there protrudes a sharp long sword, that he may strike the nations with it, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron… he has a name written [on him], King of kings and Lord of lords”. Of course, the one seated on the horse is Jesus Christ.

Not only will Jehovah’s executioner kill them directly, but part of the slaughter will be Gog’s forces turning on each other. “Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.” Jehovah has used a similar method before. The judge Gideon defeated a Midianite invasion force of 135,000 men. How? By causing confusion in the Midianite camp. In the dead of night, Gideon’s 300 men snuck up to their camp and executed a plan. They brought and broke 300 hundred water jars, blew 300 horns, made 300 war cries, and lit 300 torches. Mass confusion broke out among the dazed and surprised Midianites, and “Jehovah proceeded to set the sword of each one against the other in all the camp”. —Judges 7:17-22

Yes, as Zechariah 14:13 says of Armageddon, “in that day confusion from Jehovah will become widespread among them; and they will actually grab hold, each one of the hand of his companion, and his hand will actually come up against the hand of his companion”.

Through the prophet Haggai, Jehovah also said “I am rocking the heavens and the earth. And I shall certainly overthrow the throne of kingdoms and annihilate the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariot and its riders, and the horses and their riders will certainly come down, each one by the sword of his brother.” —Haggai 2:21, 22

And I will bring myself into judgment with him, with pestilence and with blood; and a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I shall rain down upon him and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that will be with him. —Ezekiel 38:22

Pestilence! Blood! Flooding! Hailstones! Fire and sulphur! It seems Jehovah’s executional forces will use almost every force possible to destroy the wicked.

Interestingly, Jehovah has used each and every one of those methods to execute his enemies in the past. Considering those events will give us a better idea of what Armageddon will be like.

Please consider each of the methods of destruction below, for an example of how Jehovah has used it in the past:

 

 

Pestilence

One day during the reign of King David, “Satan proceeded to stand up against Israel and to incite David to number Israel.” Despite opposition from his reluctant servant Joab, saying “Why does my lord seek this? Why should he become a cause of guilt to Israel?” David made him travel throughout Palestine and to complete the census. Joab, however, never counted the tribes of Levi and Benjamin “because the king’s word had been detestable to Joab”.

The census was “bad in the eyes of the true God” because it showed David was relying on his own strength, rather than on Jehovah who had sustained and supported him. However, David then repented and said to Jehovah “I have sinned very much… I have acted very foolishly.” God then gave a David a choice of three punishments, “Choose for yourself one of them” said Jehovah. They were: three months of famine, three months of enemies chasing David, or three days of pestilence. He chose the latter.

“Then Jehovah gave a pestilence in Israel, so that out of Israel seventy thousand persons fell.” This action was carried out by an angel of God, and presumably those who died deserved it. The angel then went “to Jerusalem to bring ruin to it”. Yet, as soon the calamity began in Jerusalem, “Jehovah saw it and began to feel regret over the calamity; and so he said to the angel that was bringing the ruin: “It is enough! Now let your hand drop.”” Jehovah’s angel stopped his work while standing near the house of a man named Ornan, who was busy threshing wheat with his four sons.

David and several older men came to Ornan’s house to approach the angel. “David raised his eyes, he got to see Jehovah’s angel standing between the earth and the heavens with his drawn sword in his hand extended toward Jerusalem.” Now grovelling on the floor, David pleaded with God “O Jehovah my God, let your hand, please, come to be upon me and my father’s house; but not upon your people”. Jehovah’s angel then directed that an altar to Jehovah should be erected at that spot.

After constructing the altar, David “offered up burnt sacrifices… and he proceeded to call upon Jehovah, who now answered him with fire from the heavens upon the altar of burnt offering.” Only then did Jehovah direct the angel to return “his sword to its sheath.” The crisis was finally over.

Just one angel caused this entire calamity. This shows how easily Jehovah can send “pestilence” upon this world at Armageddon. In fact, David was so shaken by the experience that he decided to stop going to the tabernacle to enquire of Jehovah “for he had been terrified because of the sword of Jehovah’s angel.” —1 Chronicles 21

 

 

Blood

Haughty Pharaoh had refused to allow Israel to go and sacrifice to Jehovah in the wilderness, previously having said “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?” Hence, Jehovah instructed Moses and Aaron to see Pharaoh again, and to “meet him by the edge of the Nile River, and the rod that turned into a serpent you are to take in your hand.”

Yes, for Jehovah was about to humiliate the false god Hapi, the god of the Nile, who was worshipped even above almighty Ra! Moses said to Pharaoh, “By this you will know that I am Jehovah. Here I am striking with the rod that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile River, and it will certainly turn into blood.”

Aaron then stretched out his rod over the waters; “he lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in the Nile River under the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants”. Miraculously, right in front of them all, “all the water that was in the Nile River was turned into blood.” All fish in the river perished, and the river “began to stink”. Yet it wasn’t just in this one location, for “the blood came to be in all the land of Egypt.”

Thirsty for water, “all the Egyptians went digging round about the Nile River for water to drink, because they were unable to drink any water of the Nile River.” The river remained this way for a full week. —Exodus 7:15-25

Perhaps in a similar way Jehovah will use “blood” as an instrument of destruction at Armageddon.

 

 

Flooding downpour

“Noah was a righteous man” says Genesis, who “proved himself faultless among his contemporaries.” This was quite impressive, as at that time “the earth came to be ruined in the sight of the true God and the earth became filled with violence.” Yes, for almost “all flesh had ruined its way on the earth.”

Jehovah decided he would wipe out everyone on Earth. Speaking to Noah, he said “I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth.” God then proceeded to give Noah instructions for survival. “And Noah proceeded to do according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so.”

Once the Ark was built, Jehovah led all “kinds” of animals to Noah, and he and his family also entered.  “Seven days later… the deluge came upon the earth.” Both “the floodgates of the heavens were opened” and springs of water, possibly from volcanic vents, were broken open.

It was reckoned that the waters of the deluge just managed to cover the highest mountains by up to “fifteen cubits”, or about 7 meters (23 feet). Of course, “all flesh that was moving upon the earth expired” including “all mankind”, except for Noah and his family.

About a year later, “it came about that the waters had drained from off the earth; … the surface of the ground had drained dry.”

Noah soon left the ark, and built an altar to Jehovah. There he sacrificed some of the clean animals. “Jehovah began to smell a restful odour, and so Jehovah said in his heart: “Never again shall I call down evil upon the ground on man’s account… never again shall I deal every living thing a blow just as I have done. For all the days the earth continues, seed sowing and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, will never cease.”

Indeed, the God who can never lie will keep his promise. For during the coming battle of Armageddon, the earth shall not be burned up as some professed Christians believe, for the Bible says a “great crowd” of mankind, from every tongue, people, and nation shall survive. Jehovah will use the awesome power of flooding downpour again, but not on such a massive scale. —Genesis 6:9-9:17

Additionally, in battle with a Canaanite King, Jehovah helped defeat the enemy forces by causing a flash flood on the battlefield. The victory song mentioned “The torrent of Kishon washed them away, the torrent of ancient days, the torrent of Kishon.” —Judges 5:21

 

 

Hailstones

When the nation of Israel first started to conquer the Promised Land, they captured a very strong city named Ai. Upon hearing this, the then Amorite King of pre-Israelite Jerusalem “became very much afraid”. Consequently, he sent for four other kings of neighbouring cities. Together, they schemed to attack and destroy the city of Gibeon, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the sons of Israel.” All five then went up and “they proceeded to camp against Gibeon and to war against it.”

Joshua quickly acted. He went up, “and all the people of war with him and all the valiant mighty men.” Jehovah reassured Joshua, saying, “Do not be afraid of them, for into your hand I have given them. Not a man of them will stand against you.”

Joshua attacked the Amorites, and “Jehovah went throwing them into confusion” so there was a “great slaughter”. The five-nation coalition fled, and “while they were fleeing from before Israel… Jehovah hurled great stones from the heavens upon them”. So great was this downpour of giant hailstones that “there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”

 

Fire and sulphur

Psalms 11:6 prophetically states, “He will rain down upon the wicked ones traps, fire and sulphur; and a scorching wind, as the portion of their cup”. Indeed –Jehovah did exactly that to several ancient cities.

Jehovah talks of hearing a “loud” “cry of complaint” over two cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. He said “I am quite determined to go down that I may see whether they act altogether according to the outcry over it”. So Jehovah set a test. If he sent two angelic representatives, would the Sodomites act as people claimed?

Jehovah sent two angels. When they arrived, “Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom… And he proceeded to say: “Please, now, my lords, turn aside, please, into the house of your servant and stay overnight””. Wanting to test the Sodomites properly, the angels told Lot “No, but in the public square is where we shall stay overnight”, but Lot became “very insistent with them, so that they turned aside to him and came into his house.” This didn’t ruin the test, however.

“Before they could lie down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house”. Yes, the Sodomites acted just as Jehovah had heard. They called out and asked, “Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intercourse with them.” Lot, of course, refused, and tried his best to defend his visitors from the “mob”, but couldn’t persuade them to go away. “So the men [that is, the angelic visitors] thrust out their hands and brought Lot in to them, into the house, and they shut the door. But they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house”.

In the morning, the angels “seized hold of [Lot’s] hand and of the hand of his wife and of the hands of his two daughters and they proceeded to bring him out and to station him outside the city.” The angels then commanded “Escape to the mountainous region for fear you may be swept away!”

When Lot and his daughters finally arrived at a neighbouring city named Zoar, “Jehovah made it rain sulphur and fire from Jehovah, from the heavens, upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah.” So great was the destruction that Abraham could see it from miles away. Abraham “looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the District and saw a sight. Why, here thick smoke ascended from the land like the thick smoke of a kiln!” —Genesis 18:20, 19:1-28

 

 

The prophecy of Zechariah adds yet another method of destruction to be unleashed at Armageddon. “There will be a rotting away of one’s flesh, while one is standing upon one’s feet; and one’s very eyes will rot away in their sockets, and one’s very tongue will rot away in one’s mouth” (Zechariah 14:12). Could this be literal or figurative in some way? We cannot say. If it is a literal description, one might be reminded of the scene in the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, when they open the Ark of the Covenant!

While it will be frightening to behold such destruction, Jehovah’s true worshippers will have no reason to fear. An angel of God said to Daniel, “during that time your people will escape, every one who is found written down in the book”.

Yes, the prophetic 91st Psalm tells us how God will guarantee our survival:

A thousand will fall at your very side

And ten thousand at your right hand;

To you it will not come near.

 Only with your eyes will you look on

And see the retribution itself of the wicked ones.

 Because you said: “Jehovah is my refuge,”

You have made the Most High himself your dwelling;

No calamity will befall you,

And not even a plague will draw near to your tent.

For he will give his own angels a command concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

 

Jehovah continues:

And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ —Ezekiel 38:23

Around 1514 B.C.E. Almighty God revealed his name to Moses. “I am Jehovah. And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them” (Exodus 6:2, 3). Now, roughly three-and-a-half thousand years later, the whole world will hear the name of Jehovah and know that he is the only true God – just as all the ancient Egyptians were forced to recognize that Jehovah is God Almighty.

Back then, that pagan nation was transformed from thinking “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?” to urging that the Israelites be sent away, “‘because,’ they said, ‘we are all as good as dead!’”

On a much grander scale at Armageddon, Jehovah will “make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah”.

Summary of Chapter 38

 A numerous and mighty multinational force shall be gathered by Gog of Magog – a pseudonym for Satan the Devil and his human cohorts, in the form of the future world government. They will come up against a people “brought back from the sword”, coming up with an evil plan to destroy us and, if possible, exploit us. However, Jehovah is watching, and “my rage will come up into my nose”. He will unleash a terrible judgement on the wicked, using every means at his disposal, and everyone will know “Jehovah” is causing the calamity.

Ezekiel Chapter 39

Still in vision, Jehovah now directs Ezekiel to speak once again to Gog.

“And as regards you, O son of man, prophesy against Gog, and you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Gog, you head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you around and lead you on and cause you to come up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you in upon the mountains of Israel.” —Ezekiel 39:1, 2

Jehovah now begins to recap and expand upon his earlier comments. He will cause Gog “to come up from the remotest parts of the north”. Just as the Assyrian and Babylonian armies invaded from the north to Palestine, Jehovah will make Gog’s forces turn around and return to Jehovah’s people again. They will return once more to attack Jah’s newly regathered worshippers.

“And I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and your arrows I shall cause to fall out of your own right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your bands and the peoples that will be with you.” —Ezekiel 39:3, 4a

In a fight between two people, if one has a gun, the other person may try to kick it out of his opponent’s hand – perhaps so he can pick it up to use against him. Figuratively, Gog will be standing holding a bow in one hand, and arrows in the other, ready to attack Jah’s worshippers. Jehovah, however, will hit each of his hands so he drops them to the floor! Gog will be left defenceless. As covered earlier, Gog’s weapons will be turned on his own forces, when “Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.”

Now that Gog’s forces have fallen…

“‘To birds of prey, birds of every sort of wing, and the wild beasts of the field I will give you for food. Upon the surface of the field you will fall, for I myself have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:4b, 5

While attacking spiritual Israel, Gog’s forces “and the peoples” that will be with him, those supporting Gog’s attack, will fall down slain!

Their bodies will be everywhere. Birds of prey and wild animals will feast on their corpses. The parallel prophecy in Revelation 19:17, 18 states: “an angel… cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: “Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God, that you may eat the fleshy parts of kings and the fleshy parts of military commanders and the fleshy parts of strong men and the fleshy parts of horses and of those seated upon them, and the fleshy parts of all, of freemen as well as of slaves and of small ones and great.””

This is how Satan’s coalition forces of ‘Gog of Magog’ will fall down slain. However, what about the people in the nation of Magog, and other lands under the control of Gog?

“And I will send fire upon Magog and upon those who are inhabiting the islands in security; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:6

Yes – while the attacking forces are destroyed, Magog, the nation that Gog is “chieftain” over, will be consumed by “fire”. No doubt the people of that nation must have supported the attack on Israel – after all, many members of Gog’s attacking force comes from Gog’s own country.

This is how it will be at Armageddon. It will not simply be the attacking forces that are destroyed by Jehovah. No, for the lands under the control of Satan’s counterfeit world government, including all those “who are inhabiting the islands” in assumed safety around the world, will also experience Jah’s judgement.

Revelation describes it this way: “And I saw the wild beast [the United Nations] and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage the war with the one seated on the horse [Jesus Christ] and with his army [the angels].” Then it describes the “wild beast” of Satan’s counterfeit world government being caught and thrown into a “fiery lake” of eternal destruction. “But the rest [of the peoples] were killed off with the long sword of the one seated on the horse [Jesus Christ]…. And all the birds were filled from the fleshy parts of them.” —Revelation 19:19-21

Following this Satan and his demons are bound up for a thousand years. Now, Jehovah’s name has been sanctified!

“‘And my holy name I shall make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I shall no more let my holy name be profaned; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel. Look! It must come and it must be brought to be,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘This is the day of which I have spoken.’” —Ezekiel 39:7, 8

What does it mean by “my holy name I shall make known”? We already know God’s name (YHWH; Jehovah; “I shall prove to be”). No, for this means everyone will be aware that the judgement is from Jehovah – yes, “the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah”.

No more will Jehovah’s name be profaned, which means to be held in ‘contempt or irreverence; [used in] an improper, unworthy, or degrading’ manner (source: dictionary.com). Yes, for Jehovah’s name has been held in contempt by millions of people, and tarnished by the shortcomings and wrongdoing of his organized worshippers.

Additionally, this is talking about Armageddon, which will happen after the regathering of Jah’s people. Since our destruction will make it look as though our God Jehovah is powerless, this will heap more reproach and contempt upon his name. At Armageddon, however, no more will that be!

“And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel will certainly go forth and burn and build fires with the armour and bucklers and large shields,—with the bows and with the arrows and with the handstaves and with the lances; and with them they will have to light fires seven years. And they will not carry sticks of wood from the field, nor will they gather firewood out of the forests, for with the armour they will light fires.” —Ezekiel 39:9, 10a

Now is the post-Armageddon clean-up operation. The number of items left behind by all of Gog’s coalition forces will be huge; “armour and bucklers and large shields”, “bows”, “arrows”, “handstaves”, and “lances” – every kind of weaponry will be left behind to clean up and destroy.

To clean up this mess, we will have to burn it all, for “seven years”. This number is symbolic for completeness. Just as seven days complete a week, seven symbolic years of burning armaments will be necessary to complete the clean-up work.

Indeed, in the aftermath of Armageddon we will not need to worry about obtaining fuel for keeping warm, cooking, or for lighting the night. No, for the sheer amount of garbage left behind in the destruction will be sufficient for our needs for many years. Indeed, as the victors of the war, we can plunder the world and gain much “spoil”…

 “‘And they will certainly make spoil of those who had been making spoil of them, and plunder those who had been plundering them,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:10b

Earlier, when the nations destroyed Jehovah’s organized people, the nations plundered us of all our belongings. Now, however, we have been restored by Jehovah and our enemies are vanquished. Yes – we shall plunder those who “had been plundering” us!

This is an interesting statement in the prophecy. Why? Because according to the 1914 doctrine, the nations conquered us and took us into exile during the 1914-1919 period. However, this verse – which had no ancient fulfilment – shows clearly that we will be plundering those who plundered us directly before. Is it really likely that this verse is talking about a brief period where some of the society’s property was confiscated over eighty years ago?

No, it is obvious that this refers to our future desolation! But just as it was back in Jeremiah’s day, our institutionalized prophets are saying no such destruction will happen. Jeremiah commented “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here the prophets are saying to them, ‘you will see no sword, and there will be no famine to happen to you, but true peace is what I shall give you”.

 

But Jehovah said to Jeremiah, “Falsehood is what the prophets are prophesying in my name… A false vision and divination… Therefore this is what Jehovah has said concerning the prophets who are… saying that no sword or famine will occur in this land, ‘By sword and by famine those prophets will come to their finish. And the very people to whom they are prophesying will become people cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, with no one to do the burying of them—them, their wives and their sons and their daughters. And I will pour out upon them their calamity.’” —Jeremiah 14:13-16

Yes – in the future Jehovah’s people will experience the terrible major fulfilment on this prophetic pattern. Then is when the nations will plunder us, it was not during 1914-1919. After Armageddon, however, we will “plunder those who had been plundering” us.

“And it must occur in that day that I shall give to Gog a place there, a burial place in Israel, the valley of those passing through on the east of the sea, and it will be stopping up those passing through. And there they will have to bury Gog and all his crowd, and they will be certain to call it the Valley of Gog’s Crowd. And those of the house of Israel will have to bury them for the purpose of cleansing the land, for seven months. And all the people of the land will have to do the burying, and it will certainly become for them a matter of fame in the day that I glorify myself,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:11, 12

On the coast of Israel there is a highway going from north to south. There, “on the east of the sea” all of Gog’s forces will be buried. So many will be buried there that it will “obstruct the route of travellers, blocking their way” (The Message bible translation). That’s a lot of corpses!

Yes, along with burning the instruments of war for “seven years”, we shall have to bury the soldiers and their supporters “for seven months”. This job will be a massive undertaking. No wonder it says “all the people” will help in the burying! Again, the seven represents completeness, the total amount of time it will take to get the job done.

The next verse goes on to describe how much work is necessary to bury everyone:

“And there will be men for continual employment whom they will divide off, passing along through the land, burying, with those passing through, those left remaining on the surface of the earth, in order to cleanse it. To the end of seven months they will keep making search. And those passing through must pass along through the land, and should one actually see the bone of a man he must also build beside it a marker, until those who do the burying will have buried it in the Valley of Gog’s Crowd. And the name of the city will also be Hamonah. And they will have to cleanse the land.” —Ezekiel 39:14-16

During the symbolic seven months of burying, the sheer amount of work will be so great that some survivors will be charged with continuously locating and burying corpses (or, at least what is left of them after the birds and wild animals have attacked them).

If, however, someone else should come across human bones, they should leave some kind of marker at that place, to assist the buriers searching through the land. In the days after a large disaster, search-and-rescue teams may leave a bright orange flag, or some other kind of marker, at the site of a dead body (for example, at the World Trade Centre collapse, or after the Asian Tsunamis). Later, others come along and take the body away for identification and burial.

After Armageddon, a similar system will be in place. This will serve a practical purpose, as it will guarantee that the dead are cleaned up as quickly and efficiently as possible. After all, we would like to prepare the earth for welcoming the resurrected ones as quickly as we can.

Symbolically, the men who “cleanse the land” will live in a city named “Hamonah”. This Hebrew name means ‘Crowd’ or ‘Multitude’. Perhaps the reason the men are said to live in their own city, is to emphasise the grand scale of this necessary work.

Now Jehovah talks to the birds and wild animals:

“And as regards you, O son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Say to the birds of every sort of wing and to all the wild beasts of the field: “Collect yourselves together and come. Gather yourselves together all around to my sacrifice, which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. And you will certainly eat flesh and drink blood. The flesh of mighty ones you will eat, and the blood of the chieftains of the earth you will drink, rams, young male sheep, and he-goats, young bulls, the fatlings of Bashan all of them. And you will be certain to eat fat to satisfaction and to drink blood to drunkenness, from my sacrifice that I will sacrifice for you. And you must get satisfied at my table on horses and charioteers, mighty persons and all sorts of warriors,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:17-20

Jehovah similarly spoke to the birds and wild animals when talking of his destruction and disciplining of his own people, “the birds of prey are round about upon [them]. Come, gather together, all you wild beasts of the field; bring them to eat.” (Jeremiah 12:9). Now talking of the aftermath of Armageddon, the birds and beasts are now said to “eat fat to satisfaction” and drink “blood to drunkenness”! The people they will eat will be “mighty persons” and “chieftains” – yes, the rulers of Mankind that supported Gog’s attack on us!

What of the “rams, young male sheep, and he-goats, young bulls, the fatlings of Bashan” that the animals will eat? You’ll notice that all of these animals are male – many of them quite dangerous. This symbolises the mighty men of the earth, the strong ones, including the most powerful ones (the “fatlings of Bashan” were regarded as the best cattle in all of Palestine).

Yes – the mighty army of the most powerful men on earth will be reduced to nothing; nothing but corpses littering the globe being picked apart by birds of prey and wild animals!

“And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations will have to see my judgment that I have executed and my hand that I have placed among them. And those of the house of Israel will have to know that I am Jehovah their God from that day and forward.” —Ezekiel 39:21, 22

Jehovah’s “glory” will be seen by every nation on earth! At Armageddon, no one will wonder or try to guess as to why these events are happening, or who is sending them – they will know it is the true God Jehovah!

The survivors will certainly be very aware that “I am Jehovah their God”. Indeed, back in verse 12 of this chapter, Jehovah said “it will certainly become for them a matter of fame in the day that I glorify myself”. From “that day and forward” the day of Armageddon will never be forgotten, becoming the most widely-known event in all human history. After all, it will be the day that Jehovah sanctifies himself before all nations, and finally ends mankind’s disastrous period of self-rule.

The nations will know they are being destroyed by Jehovah God, but will they know why Jehovah destroyed, and subsequently regathered, his own people?

“And the nations will have to know that it was because of their error that they, the house of Israel, went into exile, on account of the fact that they behaved unfaithfully toward me, so that I concealed my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they kept falling, all of them, by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I did with them, and I kept concealing my face from them.” —Ezekiel 39:23, 24

The nations of the world will witness the destruction of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It will seem, at least to them, that “this sect… that everywhere is spoken against” (Acts 28:22) was just plain wrong. Their supposed God did not save them from their total calamity.

Jehovah, however, will make sure that the nations will know “that it was because of their error” that spiritual Israel “went into exile”. Yes, for we have “behaved unfaithfully toward me [Jehovah], so that I… gave them into the hand of their adversaries”.

Have Jehovah’s modern people transgressed against him? Most brothers and sisters would say no. Indeed, there have been numerous lies, exaggerations, and half-truths presented against Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past 100 years, nearly all of which we can safely dismiss as the hate-filled rhetoric that it is.

Recently, however, something very wrong has been developing at Bethel. Starting in 1991, and lasting for ten years, some apostate brothers covertly kept our Watchtower Society in a sickening relationship with the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). All NGOs agree to distribute pro-globalization and pro-UN information to the public, and the Awake! did just that. Shockingly, the Watchtower Society did such a good job that the UN held up an issue of the Awake! as the kind of pro-UN information they would like all other NGO’s to produce!

Something is seriously wrong at Bethel. Just as apostate priests led the Israelite nation into apostasy in ancient times, apostates have taken charge at the very top of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

Other issues have arisen in recent years, but there is no need to expound these things here. Suffice it to say, there are many ways in which Jehovah’s modern people have transgressed against our God (the e-Watchman site covers many of these topics, while showing how the transgressions are fulfilling Bible prophecy).

It was not because Jehovah’s Witnesses were not the true religion that they were allowed to be destroyed. No, for it was punishment sent by the true God himself! The world will be made aware of this fact.

Jehovah now continues talking about the period of regathering, prior to Armageddon:

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Now is when I shall bring back the captive ones of Jacob and actually have mercy upon all the house of Israel; and I will show exclusive devotion for my holy name.’” —Ezekiel 39:25

The regathering of Jehovah’s people has a minor (ancient) and major (future) fulfilment. This verse was fulfilled in ancient times. That is why Ezekiel says “Now is when I shall bring back the captive ones…”. Ezekiel’s prophecy was written during the exile in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1), so these are the reassuring words the desperate exiles needed to hear.

As Jehovah promised, the Israelites were freed from Babylonish captivity and returned to their homeland. God had “mercy upon all the house of Israel”, just as he will have mercy on us after our desolation comes to its appropriate end. Jehovah will then “show exclusive devotion” to his holy name, making sure it is never again profaned in any way.

“And they will have borne their humiliation and all their unfaithfulness with which they have acted toward me, when they dwell on their soil in security, with no one to make them tremble. When I bring them back from the peoples and I actually collect them together out of the lands of their enemies, I will also sanctify myself among them before the eyes of many nations.” —Ezekiel 39:26, 27

Jehovah’s ancient people suffered great “humiliation” at their destruction and exile. It seemed like Jehovah was not as powerful as the false gods of Babylon. The same will be true in our day.

Babylon the Great will not be destroyed first in the great tribulation. No, for indeed Babylon will be highly pleased to see our destruction, and will even encourage it, mistreating our people (see the commentary on Obadiah for more info). The humiliation we’ll have to bare at that time will be enormous!

Eventually, however, Jehovah will have removed all those serving him for a wrong purpose. The prophecy of Daniel reveals that 1,150 days into the destruction of Jah’s people, the figurative “holy place will certainly be brought into its right condition”, or cleansed (Daniel 8:14). Shortly after this, the humiliation will be complete, and Jehovah will “bring them back… collect them together out of the lands of their enemies”.

Yes, Jehovah will sanctify both himself and his people!

“‘And they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God, when I send them in exile to the nations and actually bring them together upon their soil, so that I shall leave none of them remaining there any longer. And I shall no longer conceal my face from them, because I will pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:28, 29

Jehovah will collect us all back together! In fact, he promised this back in Deuteronomy, saying “Jehovah your God must also bring back your captives and show you mercy and collect you again from all the peoples where Jehovah your God has scattered you. If your dispersed people should be at the end of the heavens, from there Jehovah your God will collect you and from there he will take you”. —Deuteronomy 30:3, 4

Using the same pattern he used with his ancient people, Jehovah will regather the “Israel of God” when they too, are punished, scattered, forgiven, and regathered.

Jehovah will then pour out his spirit upon his people, “I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favour and entreaties, and they will certainly look to the One whom they pierced through [Jesus Christ, our Messianic King]” (Zechariah 12:10). Yes, for after our regathering Jehovah has in store the biggest and most miraculous preaching campaign the world has ever seen, warning the wicked of Armageddon! For “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” —Matthew 24:14

Real miracles will be necessary, “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.” —Joel 2:28

This remarkable preaching campaign will have complete success. For from out of Armageddon there will be “a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues… And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: “Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [the ransom of Jesus Christ].”” —Revelation 7:9, 10

Summary of Chapter 39

Jehovah will no longer allow his holy name to be profaned; all the nations will know “that I am Jehovah” when the destruction begins. Gog will be completely destroyed, with the corpses of his coalition forces rotting on the hills, pecked at by birds, and torn by wild animals. Afterward, surviving men will be continuously employed to bury the bones. Fires will be lit to burn weapons and to cleanse the earth.

The world will not die in ignorance. They will know why Jehovah’s people were destroyed: because of their sins. Jehovah had mercy on his people, forgave them, and regathered them – sanctifying himself and pouring his spirit upon them for a final preaching work to warn the wicked of the coming battle of Armageddon.

 

The conclusion of the matter…

What an incredible picture Jehovah paints for us through Ezekiel! A terrible army attacks us, but their flesh rots upon their bones, and groups of men must constantly bury corpses. We never see that depicted in the artwork of the Watchtower or Awake journals! (This is probably for the best…)

Some brothers, sisters and interested persons may be slightly stumbled by Ezekiel’s description of Armageddon. They may think that such incredible destruction is unbecoming a loving God.

Interestingly, “God’s friend” Abraham had the same concern. After being told that Jah was about to wipe out the whole district of Sodom, Abraham spoke to Jehovah asking “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous men in the midst of the city… It is unthinkable of you that you are acting in this manner to put to death the righteous man with the wicked one…! It is unthinkable of you. Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?” —Genesis 18:23-25

Abraham really answered his own rhetorical question –NO– Jehovah would never sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Through the actions of Jehovah’s holy spirit, everyone deserving of life will survive the battle of Armageddon. In fact, we have no way of knowing just how “great”, or large and numerous, the “great crowd” will be. What a wonderful prospect!

This is because the separating work Jesus spoke of is NOT occurring now. No one should ever say that only about six million Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive Armageddon. No, for the major preaching work hasn’t even begun yet – and neither has any kind of separating work. That will occur in the future after Jesus Christ is really enthroned as King.

Indeed, Armageddon is not to be dreaded. No, not even with all of the destruction that is to happen should you dread it in any way. If we place our confidence in Jehovah now,  “you will not need to be afraid of any sudden dreadful thing, nor of the storm upon the wicked ones, because it is coming. For Jehovah himself will prove to be, in effect, your confidence, and he will certainly keep your foot against capture.”

Yes – we can look forward to Armageddon with confidence. If we are Jehovah’s friend, and if we keep him as our confidence, we will live to see the greatest vindication of his name ever – in the entire history of the universe! What an amazing privilege that will be! You will be able to recount the experience to your children, their children, your children’s children and so on, for time indefinite!

Let us now end with the words of one of Jehovah’s friends, the Psalmist King David:

Turn away from what is bad and do what is good,

And so reside to time indefinite.

For Jehovah is a lover of justice,

And he will not leave his loyal ones.

To time indefinite they will certainly be guarded;

But as for the offspring of the wicked ones,

they will indeed be cut off.

The righteous themselves will possess the earth,

And they will reside forever upon it.

Hope in Jehovah and keep his way,

And he will exalt you to take possession of the earth.

When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see it.

Psalms 37:27-29, 34

An Operation of Error

The future will not unfold as Jehovah’s servants commonly believe. Unknown to most of them, Jehovah has put in place a brilliant plan – culminating in a “strange” chain of events which is soon to unfold.

For many years, Bethel has taught the brothers and sisters that only those associated with the "ark" of Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive God’s war of Armageddon. It is true that only those that call "on the name of Jehovah will get away safe" (Joel 2:32). However, this leaves open many questions about those not currently associated with our brotherhood, and those who have fallen away. For example, what about the countless brothers and sisters who have been stumbled out of our organization by congregational problems, false brothers, or disappointment (e.g. 1975)? Also, would a loving God incinerate over six billion people, despite the fact that most have not been reached by our preaching work? Is that how the God of Justice really operates? —Malachi 2:17

Jehovah is the God of Wisdom. Indeed, he is the wisest entity in all of existence. Our human thinking is truly pathetic compared to his. He is all-knowing, we are not. He is all-seeing, we are not. He is all-wise, we are certainly not! Additionally, Jehovah epitomizes love itself, for “God is love”. When he was about to destroy Sodom, then “God’s friend” Abraham asked him “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Yet in his asking, Abraham really answered his own question. Of course not! Jehovah is not unrighteous. “Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice”. —Deuteronomy 32:4

Prophecy indicates that the future will not unfold as Jehovah’s servants commonly believe. Unknown to most of them, Jehovah has put in place a brilliant plan – culminating in a “strange” chain of events which is soon to unfold. Thanks to his brilliance, not one righteous person will be swept away with the wicked at Armageddon. Not a single false brother will survive into the new system, and not a single righteous person will lose out on the chance of eternal life because of being stumbled by past Watchtower mistakes, false brothers, or apostates.

Yet this plan is not simply a matter of looking in each individual’s heart. No, for this plan involves an actual test! In fact, it’s something that Jehovah first set in motion many decades ago.

An operation of error

To begin our investigation, we need to closely examine something Jehovah’s Holy Spirit said to the apostles back in the 1st century. We find it recorded in the 2nd letter to the Thessalonian congregation, chapter 2.

The apostle Paul wrote:

“However, brothers, respecting the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of you not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. —2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

Jehovah’s people should not be “quickly shaken” from their sound reasoning abilities, nor get “excited”, thinking that the day of Jehovah has arrived.

No doubt this had happened before in the 1st century. If it did not happen, the apostle Paul would have no reason to counsel the Thessalonian congregation in this matter. You see, even though Jesus presence was still a long way off, all the Christians back in the first century still kept ‘on the watch’. The apostle Paul said in Romans, “…for now our salvation is nearer than at the time when we became believers. The night is well along; the day has drawn near.” So, no doubt some did get excited prematurely from time to time. —Romans 13:11-12

We, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, have gone directly against this apostolic counsel. We have indeed been “quickly shaken from [our] reason” and become “excited” by world events, and have declared that Jesus presence has already begun. In doing so, we also ignored Christ’s own warning about this. When asked what the sign of the conclusion would be, he immediately said “Look out that nobody misleads you… you are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet.” —Matthew 24:4-6

The reason the Apostle Paul gives this warning becomes obvious. For what the prophets call a “whitewashed wall” of false prophecy is intertwined with the presence of what the Bible calls the “lawless one” among God’s people, directly prior to Jesus’ return.

The apostle continues:

Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it [the anointed being resurrected to heaven] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. —2 Thessalonians 2:3

Our brothers interpret the “apostasy” to be what is commonly called the ‘Great Apostasy’, the slow infiltration of paganism into the Roman Church, which eventually blossomed into the Babylonian hodgepodge of contradiction and ungodliness that we see today. Additionally, our Watchtower Society has interpreted the “man of lawlessness” and “son of destruction” to be the clergy class of Christendom.

The apostles did, most certainly, warn of a huge falling away from the true faith in later times. 2 Timothy 4:3 says “there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories”. This exact thing happened in ancient times.

However, while the foretold falling away did occur, what if the “apostasy” mentioned in Thessalonians 2:3 is actually talking about a different apostasy? What if it is talking about an apostasy within God’s household – Jehovah’s Witnesses – directly prior to “the day of Jehovah”?

Indeed, in Daniel’s prophecy, prior to the start of the “time of the end”, the prophecy states that “those who are acting wickedly against the covenant, he [the King of the North] will lead into apostasy”. The people who are “acting wickedly against the covenant” are logically those who are in the covenant, or agreement. These are the anointed sons of God.

Many prophecies in the Bible have a dual application. The apostle’s warning that the “apostasy comes first” seems to be of little use for us if its foretold apostasy occurred over 1,600 years ago.

So, we ask again: could the apostasy that is foretold to occur among God’s anointed ones be undergoing fulfilment today?

As we continue, we will see that this becomes a real possibility. The apostle last mentioned that a “man of lawlessness” must be revealed before the day of Jehovah arrives. He continues on this topic, saying…

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. Do you not remember that, while I was yet with you, I used to tell you these things? —2 Thessalonians 2:4-5

What is “the temple of The God”? Note that the context is talking about an apostasy from Jehovah’s worshippers, so the temple of The God is the temple of the true God, Jehovah.

But the temple is not the ruins of the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem. No, for the “temple” today is the spiritual temple, built from the anointed. For example, Jesus spoke of this spiritual temple and said to his anointed followers, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God …and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem”. —Revelation 3:12

So the “man of lawlessness” will set himself up among Jesus brothers – the anointed – in the spiritual temple of the true God. Far from being the clergy of Christendom, the “man of lawlessness” is an insidious influence right among the anointed brothers who lead the Watchtower Society!

Interestingly, you will find this website teaches that the United Nations is the King of the North. It is the King of the North who leads Jah’s people into apostasy, according to Daniel. And it was with the United Nations that the Watchtower Society held a quiet political relationship for 10 years. Perhaps it is a portent of things to come? Could we have witnessed the first signs of the “apostasy”, caused by the presence of the “man of lawlessness”?

And so now you know the thing that acts as a restraint, with a view to his being revealed in his own due time. True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work; but only till he who is right now acting as a restraint gets to be out of the way. —2 Thessalonians 2:6-7

It has been speculated that the “thing that acts as a restraint” and “he who is right now acting as a restraint” could have been the Apostle John, in the 1st century fulfilment. Indeed he was the last apostle to die, and after he was gone the floodgates were opened and paganism poured in.

What about today? Well, perhaps, the modern “thing that acts as a restraint” toward open apostasy is the elderly brothers who have guided our organization for so many years. Now that they are dying off, others are taking their place.

Indeed, the attitude of the Society certainly has changed in recent decades. At one time, signing up as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to the United Nations would have been unthinkable. The very idea of publishing cover-issues to the Awake about United Nations issues, to abide by the rules of being an NGO, would be considered absolutely disgusting — and an outright apostasy!

Indeed, as the apostle said, “the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work”!

Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. —2 Thessalonians 2:8

Yes, the lawless one will eventually be revealed, and done away with. When Jesus comes to clean out his household, he will throw his “wicked slaves” outside. “There is where [his] weeping and the gnashing of [his] teeth will be.” —Matthew 24:51

If the “lawless one” is the clergy of Christendom, as our brothers suppose, there is a contradiction here. It is said that once the thing “acting as a restraint” gets out of the way, “then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed” whom Jesus will “do away with”. For, if the restraint is removed and the lawless one is then immediately identified and done away with, surely he should have been identified and removed nearly two millennia ago?

No, for the modern application is clear. As soon as the restraint is removed, it will become abundantly clear where the apostasy comes from, and Jesus Christ will later come to clean out his household, removing the “man of lawlessness” and all the wicked slaves.

Continuing to talk about the lawless one, the apostle says:

But the lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents 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. —2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

The apostle previously said that the lawless one was “already at work”. Now he tells us how to spot his operation. He says he will produce “lying signs and portents”. Another word for ‘portent’ is an ‘omen’. These are not real signs or omens, no for they are lies. The Message translation renders that phrase as “All his power and signs and miracles are fake”! It also renders the “unrighteous deception” as “evil sleight of hand”.

Could it really be that some of the anointed – Christ’s brothers – have produced for us a series of fake omens, and used “sleight of hand” to convince us of their truthfulness?

The apostle continues…

So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie, in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness. —2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

It has now become clear – Jehovah has allowed his followers to believe “a lie”! Why? For this purpose: that “they all may be judged”, because they take “pleasure in unrighteousness”.

Why else would Jehovah allow an evil “man of lawlessness” to reside right in among his household, if not for a purpose? He is allowing all his servants to believe a complete lie – something that will help “judge” them all. Whatever this “operation of error” is, it must be part of the “lying signs”, fake omens, and “sleight of hand” used by the lawless one. Obviously, signs and omens are associated with prophecy and foretelling the future.

Jehovah spoke through the prophet Ezekiel about this same problem with his people. Talking of false prophets, he said “my hand has come to be against the prophets that are visioning untruth and that are divining a lie. In the intimate group of my people they will not continue on” (Ezekiel 13:9). Notice that the false prophets are also intimately associated with us, much like the man of lawlessness who is among the spiritual temple. They are not outsiders, nor are they Christendom’s clergy. They are among the “intimate group” of Jah’s people.

So, what is this “operation of error” designed to test our love of the “truth”? What could be so extreme as to test the faith, love, and loyalty to Jehovah God of every single Jehovah’s Witness in the world? What “error” supported by fake signs and omens, could the entire brotherhood be seduced into believing?

Do you remember how the apostle started by warning us not to get “excited” and think the “day of Jehovah” is here? Well, could our false belief be linked to Armageddon and the Time of the End?

What our “error” is not

We are well aware that the end of Satan’s wicked system of things is approaching. God’s word is extremely clear regarding this fact. To quote just one example, the apostle Peter said that “the heavens being on fire will be dissolved and the elements being intensely hot will melt! But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” —2 Peter 3:12-13

Additionally, we can be confident that the “new heavens” and “new earth” will be here soon. Revelation 17:10 states: “there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while.” The King that “is”, or is currently reigning, is the King who was reigning at the time Revelation was written. Back then the King was the mighty Roman Empire. That was the sixth King.

Today, we undoubtedly live during the reign of that final seventh King – the Anglo-American geographical, cultural, military, and financial world empire. It dominates the entire globe — even the United Nations headquarters is situated in the empire’s largest city. Yet, regardless of its strength and influence, this last world power shall only “remain a short while” according to the Bible.

These facts cannot be denied. Our belief in the coming battle of Armageddon is not our “operation of error”. The coming end of this system of things is a simple biblical fact. Anyone who denies that is blind. So then, what is our “operation of error”?

A past judgment

All of Jehovah’s Witnesses are well aware of certain events that took place during the 1914 to 1919 period. At that time we experienced much persecution, mainly due to our refusal to join the war effort. Additionally, there were problems at Bethel, the headquarters of the Watch Tower. Unscrupulous ‘brothers’ were refusing to preach the word, as the Bible commands. Others were opposing decisions of the new unanimously elected president of the Watch Tower Society — including instructions the late Russell gave him before his death! Some brothers even tried to wrestle control of the Society using legal means. Later, members of Christendom managed to get false charges of sedition put against the Governing Body. A corrupt judge found them guilty and sentenced them to long prison terms.

By this point the brothers were feeling very low. Brother Russell, who first started the Watch Tower magazine, was now dead. They had seen a large proportion of the brotherhood leave to form their own organization. Now, if that wasn’t enough, the brothers in charge had been put in prison, and some of the society’s property was confiscated. Things were at an all-time low. It looked like the small flame of truth was about to be extinguished.

Happily, at a later date, things suddenly started to get better. The brothers in charge were acquitted of all charges against them and released from prison in 1919. There soon followed a phenomenal growth of Jehovah’s worshippers, which eventually spread to every country on earth.

However, while the phenomenal growth of Jehovah’s people carried on, some new interpretations of prophecy were being developed. During the 1920’s while Brother Rutherford was president of the Watch Tower society, a whole new explanation of the events between 1914 and 1919 was offered in the pages of the Watch Tower magazine.  It explained that those events fulfilled bible prophecy.

Intimately connected to all of this is the date 6th of October 1914. That is when the ‘times of the gentiles’ ended, according to the late Brother Russell. You see, originally it was understood that Jesus presence (or so-called second-coming) began in 1874; later this understanding was changed to 1914.

Now, according to Jesus, as soon as his presence begins he will judge the ‘household’ of his servants, or slaves. Jesus asks, “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings”. Yes, for when Jesus presence begins, he will judge his people throw out the wicked slaves and appoint the faithful ones.

During the 1920’s, the brothers looked back at recent events, and came to a realisation: the events seemed to fulfil a particular pattern.

They decided that the end of the ‘times of the gentiles’ (which they had calculated to end in October 1914) must be the foretold enthronement of Jesus Christ in heaven, which the Bible speaks of in Revelation. As World War One had begun shortly before in August 1914, and was followed by the Spanish Flu epidemic which killed millions, this seemed to confirm the words of Jesus that there would be “wars and reports of wars” and “pestilence” when his presence begins. You could call it a “sign”, or an “omen”.

Additionally, the troubles they experienced during the war, where the preaching work was almost stopped, seemed to fit the idea of Jehovah’s people being punished, or desolated, as various prophecies require (including Daniel). Finally, the brothers and sisters who left the Watch Tower during that time must have been the “wicked slave” that Jesus said he would “throw outside” of his household upon beginning his reign.

This ‘new light’ seemed amazing to the brothers. Could it really be that the events during 1914 and 1919 were fulfilling prophecy? Everything wrapped up so tightly, and seemed to apply so perfectly, that the above description continues to be the official teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses down to this very day.

Indeed, the amount of prophecy that our brothers at the Watchtower have now applied to the 1914-1919 period is staggering. Almost every prophecy in the Bible has been either attributed to, or connected with, that time (including Daniel, Revelation, Matthew, Joel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Obadiah, Habakkuk and Ezekiel).  Meanwhile, many other prophecies are applied to Christendom’s ‘fall from God’s favour’ after 1919 and the subsequent world-wide preaching work of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Needless to say, the events of 1914-1919 are very much central to Jehovah’s modern worshippers. Doubting this interpretation is regarded by many brothers as an act of apostasy. This is because any attack on the 1914-1919 events seems to attack the very foundation stone of all beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

However, do you remember earlier when I gave an example from Revelation? The verse showed that the 7th King would only remain a “short while”. This shows us that God’s Kingdom will soon take control of earth’s affairs, destroying all human government, as we have preached for decades. But did you notice that I didn’t even mention the date 1914? I really didn’t, because I didn’t need to. You see, it is my belief that the dates 1914 to 1919 are not the ‘foundation stone’ of our beliefs at all, but are actually completely unnecessary to our faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The apostle Paul earlier said that the “operation of error” is in place to test whether or not we “take pleasure in unrighteousness”. All real lovers of Jehovah and righteousness will not care about chronological interpretations like 1914. Their main priority is to serve and love their heavenly father – not to save their own skins.

The events of 1914-1919

A great irony of the Future Judgment View is that Jehovah’s Witnesses officially believe most of it already. The pages of the Watchtower have frequently talked of the many prophecies foretelling the destruction and disciplining of Jehovah’s modern people. Many of those prophecies they have, in my opinion, wrongly applied to Christendom. However, it is plain from the scriptures that God’s people – the Israel of God – will also experience a disciplining at some point. The problem is that our operation of error has placed that event in the past – between the years 1914 and 1919 – and not where it rightly belongs, in the future.

One of the prophecies said to have found fulfilment then is the well-known vision in Revelation of the “two witnesses”. In the vision, the two witnesses represent the anointed Christians. We know this because the text says so. Then, when Satan “the dragon” and his demons are thrown down to the earth, they persecute the anointed Christians. The persecution they endure is so bad they are said to prophesy in “sackcloth” for a period of time.

On the subject of sackcloth, the Insight volume makes these remarks: ‘The Hebrew prophets were occasionally wearers of sackcloth. They did this in harmony with the warning messages and calls to repentance they were commissioned to deliver, or when they prayed with expressions of repentance in behalf of the people.’

It seems their preaching in sackcloth can be both a symbol of mourning, and a symbol of repentance. The symbol of repentance would be fitting, for this time is spoken of as being a cleansing of Jehovah’s worshippers. A parallel prophecy that the Watchtower applies to 1919 in Malachi states: “suddenly there will come to His temple the true Lord … the messenger of the covenant in whom you are delighting.” This is Jesus Christ. The prophecy continues, “For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen.”

The entire foretold period of desolation is for cleansing Jah’s name-sake people. This is what happens when Jesus arrives to clean out his household. The same prophecy continues saying Jesus “‘will come near to you people for the judgment, and I will become a speedy witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those swearing falsely, and against those acting fraudulently with the wages of a wage worker, with the widow and with the fatherless boy, and those turning away the alien resident, while they have not feared me,’ Jehovah of armies has said.” —Malachi 3:1-5

Now if we were to apply the above verses as our brothers do, to the 1914-1919 period, we have a bit of a problem. The number of persons worshipping Jehovah back then was nothing compared to what it is now. The amount of sins of Jehovah’s worshippers back then was also nothing compared to what it is now.

If Jehovah was going to discipline his people for their sins, why would he do it when their sins were few-and-far-between, and then leave their later sins seemingly unpunished? If the judgment “starts first with us” as the apostle Peter stated, surely our punishment will come then, at the time of the judgment? —1 Peter 4:17

Today Jehovah’s Witnesses have undoubtedly committed many sins against God and his name. Simply through our own honest mistakes we have managed to heap much reproach on God’s precious name.

Let’s now try to apply the things listed by Malachi with modern-day problems among God’s people.

Jehovah says he will be a “speedy witness against the sorcerers”. No doubt Jehovah has in mind the modern-day false prophets who have misinterpreted prophecies and given false predictions, stumbling many out of his worship. The “adulterers” could easily be aligned with the tens of thousands of Witnesses who are disfellowshipped each year for immorality. Those “swearing falsely” could apply to any liars, but in this context could be brothers who are not whole souled in their worship of Jehovah, saying they will worship him with their whole hearts, but failing to live up to that commitment. The phrase “fatherless boys” can apply to all vulnerable children. While irrational sensationalist claims have greatly exaggerated the child abuse problem, the problem does exist, and could have been better dealt with. The ridiculous rule that two witnesses must have been present to see the child abused is absurd. Just as Jesus commented, we are sticklers to the letter of the law, like the Pharisees. We “give the tenth of the mint and the dill and the cumin”, but we then “have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness.” Jesus finishes up by saying, “Blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel!” —Matthew 23:23-24

It would be far more appropriate if the prophecy of Jesus coming to cleanse his worshippers occurred in the future – and not decades ago. In fact, the opposite would be grossly unjust.

Let’s get back to the two witnesses vision in Revelation. It says, “…when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss [that is, the nations] will make war with them and conquer them and kill them”.

According to the 1914 doctrine, this verse was fulfilled symbolically in 1918 when a United States court imprisoned the Governing Body for a short time on false charges. No doubt the feeling through the entire organization was very bad at that time. Looking back it may seem trivial, but at the time it certainly wasn’t.

However, the point is that this was supposed to be the culmination of the prophecies concerning the disciplining and cleansing of Jah’s worshippers prior to Armageddon. So, what sins did the early Bible Students supposedly commit to warrant Jehovah’s discipline?

A June 1987 Watchtower study article tells us. It asks ‘Now, what evidence is there that this refinement took place from the closing days of World War I onward?’ The next paragraph answers: ‘When Jehovah accompanied his ‘messenger of the covenant’ to the spiritual temple, He found the remnant in need of refining and cleansing. For example, The Watch Tower had encouraged its readers to set aside May 30, 1918, as a day of prayer for victory for the democratic powers, as requested by the U.S. congress and by President Wilson. This amounted to a violation of Christian neutrality.’

The 1975 yearbook adds, ‘After their trialsome period of 1917-1919, Jehovah’s people subjected themselves to scrutiny. Realizing that they had acted in ways that did not meet with God’s approval, they sought forgiveness in prayer repenting of their former course. … One compromise had been the cutting of pages from The Finished Mystery, this to please those who had assumed the position of censor. Another occurred when The Watch Tower of June 1, 1918, stated: ‘In accordance with the resolution of Congress of April 2nd, and with the proclamation of the President of the United States of May 11, it is suggested that the Lord’s people everywhere make May 30th a day of prayer and supplication.’ Subsequent comments lauded the United States and did not harmonize with the Christian position of neutrality.’

Therefore, the stern warning of the prophets, describing Jah’s people as adulterers, liars, not doing justice for vulnerable children, and many more things, was supposedly all fulfilled in the removal of a few pages from a book, and supporting a ‘day of prayer’ on behalf of the allied troops fighting in Europe. These things are mere trivialities when compared to the damning words of the prophets!

Surely, the prophecy must have it’s fulfilment in the future!

Additionally, remember how the two witnesses of Revelation were killed? The prophecy continues to say how “their corpses will be on the broad way … and nations will look at their corpses … and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb”.

Now, during the time the Governing Body was in prison (the supposed fulfilment of these verses), amazingly the Watch Tower journal never missed an issue. Also the preaching work continued, albeit at a significantly slowed down pace. Even conventions were held! (See the Proclaimers book, chapter 7) The fact of the matter is, these things are not the activity of “corpses”. If the two witnesses of Revelation represent the anointed, which they surely do because Revelation tells us so plainly, then why were only some of the anointed ‘killed’, while others continued their work?

This is part of our “operation of error”. The fulfilment will really take place in the future.

A future judgment!

It is my conviction, and that of others, that the foretold disciplining of Jehovah’s people will certainly take place – in the near future.

Many prophecies describe Jah’s people being utterly destroyed, disciplined, refined, cleansed, and then miraculously regathered for an incredible preaching work. Yes – another preaching work – but this time we shall have the miraculous outpouring of Jehovah’s holy spirit, Pentecost-style. That preaching work will commence after the refining of his worshippers is complete. For when the tribulation of God’s people is over, something will happen immediately afterwards. Jesus said, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” —Matthew 24:29-30

The above verse is from Matthew 24, a chapter all of Jehovah’s Witnesses are intimately familiar with. In it, it describes the “conclusion of the system of things”, or what other prophecies call the “time of the end”. However, does it describe the “last days”?

The “last days” or the “time of the end”?

As part of our operation of error, we share a belief with many evangelical religions in Babylon the Great. We believe the “time of the end”, or “conclusion of the system of things” is the same thing as the “last days”.

However, as anyone who is familiar with the Future Judgment View is aware, the “time of the end” or “conclusion of the system of things” is a fixed period, lasting sometime under four years (see the Daniel’s Days essay for more info). The “last days”, however, are mentioned as something entirely different in the Bible.

The phrase “last days” appears in just four places in the scriptures.

At Acts 2:17, when the book of Joel is being quoted, the apostle Peter applies the book to the “last days”, presumably of the Jewish system, when the miraculous preaching work began at Pentecost.

At 2 Timothy 3:1, the apostle Paul lists the moral decay taking place during the last days. He mentions that men in the “last days” will be “lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power”. Now, it must be noted that all these things are attitudes in people – not events – and such broad social trends would take many decades to develop.

At James 5:3, the apostle uses the term to describe the time when the riches of various Christians will become worthless. He says, “your gold and silver are rusted away, and their rust will be as a witness against you and will eat your fleshy parts. Something like fire is what your have stored up in the last days”. No doubt he is describing the coming disaster when Christ’s presence begins and the ‘Time of the End’ really starts. That is when riches will become of little consequence.

At 2 Peter 3:3-4, the apostle says “in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’” Ridiculers have always been about, but apparently during the last days they will be especially so. Note that Jesus did not warn of ridiculers coming during the conclusion. Interestingly,  ridiculers and ‘ex-JWs’ do indeed mock the idea that Jesus presence will ever begin.

So, the phrase “last days” seems to apply to the era prior to the period called the ‘Time of the End’. The last days can last decades – long enough for broad social trends to develop – and the time period overlaps into the ‘Time of the End’. Indeed, the phrase itself merely indicates the last periods of time before Satan’s system is destroyed. Unlike the ‘Time of the End’, the “last days” is not a fixed period, but a time when mankind will slowly sink into a low pit of debauchery, while ridiculers spurn the idea that Jesus presence will ever commence.

We are in the “last days” right now, but the “time of the end” is a fixed period which is yet future.

We can further demonstrate this by examining what Jesus Christ said about the conclusion of the system of things, or time of the end, (regarding earthquakes, wars, etc). A detailed examination is out of the scope of this essay, but needless to say, the 20th century has been the safest time period in which to live, in all of human history. Technology and medical advances have far outweighed the deaths caused by wars and famines.

For example, the Watchtower interprets the four horsemen of the Apocalypse going on the rampage back in 1914, and having done so ever since. In Revelation, they are instructed to kill a quarter of mankind.

While the quarter number is obviously symbolic, even the 20th century’s greatest wars did not kill anywhere near that many people. A quick estimation of war dead demonstrates this. In 1914 the world population was about 1.8 billion. The dead in the war was about 15 million. That’s a mere 0.8% of the world population. So too, do we find this during the Second World War. The world population was about 2.3 billion in 1940, and the war dead was about 55 million, or 2.4% of mankind. These percentages may even be a little too high, as it does not take into account the numbers of babies born during the conflicts.

Obviously, the war dead from lesser conflicts pales into insignificance compared to the two great wars. Additionally, when we take into account deaths from modern plagues (like heart disease and AIDS, as the Watchtower does), the number of deaths is inconsequential when compared to the amount of fatalities prevented by medical advancement and drugs like penicillin.

So too is there a problem with the “earthquakes in one place after another”. It is true that many of the world’s biggest cities are located on earthquake fault lines, therefore more people are affected by earthquakes than ever before. However, are the earthquakes we’ve seen in the 20th and early 21st centuries “in one place after another”? In fact, there is nothing unusual or unexpected about their severity or frequency. They are expected to occur in the usual places – and they usually do.

The 2004 Asian Tsunami showed what earthquakes are really capable of doing. Yet, such horrific events have been incredibly rare during the past 100 years. Surely we would expect to see that happen more often if we were experiencing an unusual outbreak of earthquakes – not simply see major disasters with the normal and expected frequency that seismologists expect.

Moral decay, however, is a different matter. Today we see divorce rates higher than ever, homosexuality openly practiced and celebrated, paedophiles talking of their ‘rights’, immoral and violent behaviour in popular entertainment, sex outside of marriage the norm, money-making taking top priority, and love of god becoming very rare indeed. We are certainly living in the “last days” – but not the “time of the end” or “conclusion of the system of things”, at least not yet anyway.

A “whitewashed wall”, a “divining lie”

Jehovah’s modern people have become so enamoured with the 1914 doctrine, that it would never be willingly abandoned. A huge amount of investment has been placed in the doctrine, and renouncing it would surely cause many brothers and sisters to fall away.

Almost all of our official prophetic interpretations now revolve around that date. Meanwhile, other prophecies are applied to Christendom’s condemnation by God and her future desolation.

However, as we have previously asked, what if those prophecies don’t apply to Christendom at all, but to the spiritual Israel of God, Jehovah’s modern people? In this section, we will look at several prophecies the Watchtower applies to Christendom. However, instead we will apply them to ourselves and to the foretold “operation of error”.

‘Surely’, you may ask, ‘the bible says more about Jah’s people believing a lie?’ We shall see that if the prophecies don’t apply to Christendom, then they most certainly speak of our situation in much detail!

In the intimate group of Jah’s people

Let’s re-examine something we covered earlier, said through Ezekiel. At that time, many of the Jews had already been taken away in exile to Babylon. However, so-called prophets of Jehovah were downplaying the idea that their land would soon be completely desolated as punishment from Jehovah, and almost all persons would either be killed or also taken into exile. Some prophets out rightly denied it.

What was Jehovah’s response?

Jehovah told Ezekiel to “prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and you must say to those prophesying out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah… “Woe to the stupid prophets, who are walking after their own spirit, when there is nothing that they have seen! ... They have visioned what is untrue and a lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when Jehovah himself has not sent them’””. —Ezekiel 13:2-7

Where were these ‘stupid prophets’? Were they standing on the public street, yelling out to passers-by, like modern fundamentalist street preachers? Were they on the fringes of Israelite society? No, not at all! Jehovah continued to say, “…my hand has come to be against the prophets that are visioning untruth and that are divining a lie. In the intimate group of my people they will not continue on”. Yes – the prophets “divining a lie” are in the very “intimate group” of Jehovah’s people! And indeed they were. The entire Jewish religious system denied their impending judgment by Jehovah – from the lowliest Levite, right up to the high priest himself.

The same situation exists with the “operation of error” in our day. As the apostle stated, the error and the man of lawlessness must be in the very spiritual temple of the true God. Our institutional prophets at the Watchtower Society, what one could call the “intimate group” of Jehovah’s modern people, have likewise divined for us a 1914-centred lie, also denying our impending judgment by Jehovah. Just as in the ancient application, the denial goes from the lowliest publisher to the president of the Society himself.

A whitewashed wall of false prophecy

Why will Jehovah bring this calamity against his “stupid prophets”? The same chapter of Ezekiel continues, telling us why: “for the reason, yes, for the reason that they have led my people astray, saying, ‘There is peace!’ when there is no peace”. The fictional “peace” is the peace between Jah’s people and himself. While the prophets are saying that Jehovah is nothing but pleased with the Israelites, “there is peace”, that is not really true.

For Jehovah says, “there is one that is building a partition wall, but in vain there are those plastering it with whitewash.” In ancient times, the “partition wall” separating the Israelites from the truth was the lie that Jehovah was not going to allow their nation to be destroyed. So too today, the operation of error has done precisely the same thing in denying our destruction.

In ancient times, it was the “stupid prophets” who painted the wall of lies with whitewash, saying “there is peace”. Today, our institutional prophets have done the same thing, producing a huge amount of “whitewash”. Some of this whitewash propping up the wall could be the constant ‘new coats’ of whitewashed paint to the 1914 doctrine. All of the largest changes to our doctrine over the years have been centred on that very subject. So-called ‘new light’ on matters such as the ‘generation’ of 1914, and other changes, puts a fresh new coat on our operation of error each time.

However, Jehovah has something in store for our beloved wall of whitewash.

Jah commands, “Say to those plastering with whitewash that it will fall. A flooding downpour will certainly occur, and you, O hailstones, will fall, and a blast of windstorms itself will cause a splitting. And, look! the wall must fall. Will it not be said to you men, ‘Where is the coating with which you did the plastering?’”

A sudden flood will send the wall crashing down! A flood of what, you may ask? In Isaiah, a similar expression is used to describe the flood of an oncoming enemy army, coming to destroy Israel. “Like a thunderous storm of hail, a destructive storm, like a thunderous storm of powerful, flooding waters, he will certainly do a casting down to the earth with force. With the feet the eminent crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim [i.e. Israel] will be trampled down”. —Isaiah 28:2-3

Numerous prophecies foretold the destruction of both Israel and Judah by an enemy from the north. Similarly, in Daniel’s prophecy, a king from the remotest parts of the north destroys Jehovah’s people during the Time of the End.

It is the same king who desolates Jah’s people in the future, whose actions will flood up to our whitewashed wall. In one swift move, our 1914 doctrine – and the false sense of security that it provides – will crash down as Jah’s people realises that our judgment did not take place back in 1914-1919.

Notice also that the “whitewash” itself will be abandoned. The verse said that those who previously did the plastering will be asked “Where is the coating with which you did the plastering?”

Interestingly, Jehovah also adds that “its foundation must be exposed”. The ancient foundation was that the prophets did not speak in Jah’s name. Today, it will be exposed that the 1914 doctrine did not originate with the true God. Also, the “wall is no more, and those plastering it are no more.” —Ezekiel 13:15

The tables of vomit

Jehovah compares the Israelites spiritual blindness to drunkenness. “Priest and prophet—they have gone astray because of intoxicating liquor, they have become confused as a result of the wine, … they have gone astray in their seeing, they have reeled as to decision.” Because of this drunkenness, the priests and prophets do what people tend to do when extremely drunk – they vomit. “For the tables themselves have all become full of filthy vomit—there is no place without it.”

The priests and prophets were spiritually drunk, so they produced spiritual vomit. Originally the “vomit” was the religious teaching that “there is peace” between Jehovah and his wayward people. Today, it is no different. Whenever God’s people claim the same thing – Jehovah does not view it as nourishing spiritual food, but views it as nothing but disgusting sick.

Covenant with Death, a lie our refuge

Regarding the false teaching that Jah’s people will not be disciplined, Jehovah says “you men have said: ‘We have concluded a covenant with Death’”. We have, in effect, made a covenant (an agreement) with Death itself. What are the terms of this agreement? It is that “‘the overflowing flash flood, in case it should pass through, will not come to us”. Yes, their covenant with Death is the very same spiritual “vomit” that Jehovah will not discipline his people. The passage continues to say “‘for we have made a lie our refuge and in falsehood we have concealed ourselves’”. —Isaiah 28:14-15

Jehovah describes the effect that the “overflowing flash flood” will have on his servants. He says it will “take you men away, because morning by morning it will pass through, during the day and during the night”. The flood will literally clean out many of the men from among Jehovah’s servants, presumably the wicked and evil slaves. —Matthew 24:51

However, Jehovah also reveals another effect it will have. He says, “…it must become nothing but a reason for quaking to make others understand what has been heard”. Once the flood has crashed down the whitewashed wall of 1914, the entire brotherhood will – for the first time – be able to fully comprehend the prophecies speaking of that very event. They will be able to “understand” what they have repeatedly heard from the Biblical prophets, but previously misunderstood.

A couch too short

In the same chapter of Isaiah, Jehovah continues to describe the false prophets’ situation. He compares them to a man who lies down on a couch, or bed, but “the couch has proved too short for stretching oneself on, and the woven sheet itself is too narrow when wrapping oneself up”. The interpretations of the prophets just don’t seem to be comfortable; in fact, no one can be fully comfortable with them. No wonder a continuous re-plastering with new whitewash is necessary. However, Jehovah will crash down the wall. Jehovah will “do his deed—his deed is strange—and that he may work his work—his work is unusual”.

Allowing his name-sake people to be desolated – that is most certainly strange and unusual!

Prophets are in a deep sleep

Why, though, can Jehovah’s people not see their coming calamity? The reason the ancient Israelites could not see it is the same reason spiritual Israel cannot see it. “For upon you men Jehovah has poured a spirit of deep sleep; and he closes your eyes, the prophets, and he has covered even your heads, the visionaries.”

In ancient times, the Israelites knew what the true worship of Jehovah was. They knew how they should worship him properly, and not end up worshipping some false God. When they did so, they were blessed. So too today, we know how to worship the true God Jehovah, and not some pagan trinity fantasy. And when we do so, we too are blessed.

Yet, in ancient times the religious leaders of God’s people were in a “deep sleep” when it came to prophecy. So too today – our institutional prophets also have their eyes closed, failing to see our coming calamity, just as in ancient times.

Jehovah’s servant is blind

Continuing the theme of his prophets being blind, Jehovah makes a rather interesting remark in Isaiah 42. Talking to his people he says, “Hear, you deaf ones; and look forth to see, you blind ones. Who is blind, if not my servant, and who is deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as the one rewarded, or blind as the servant of Jehovah?”

Indeed – Jehovah’s people did show a complete blindness toward their coming calamity. That is what the context of the verse is talking about, the time when his worshippers are “a people plundered and pillaged, all of them being trapped in the holes, and in the houses of detention they have been kept hidden”. —Isaiah 42:18-22

You did not listen

Jeremiah’s commission was to preach of the coming calamity to Judah and Jerusalem. Unfortunately, “these twenty-three years the word of Jehovah has occurred to me, and I kept speaking to you people, rising up early and speaking, but you did not listen. And Jehovah sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, but you did not listen”.

Because they did not listen or change their ways, Jehovah says, “I am sending and I will take all the families of the north… even sending to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land …and I will devote them to destruction”. Interestingly, numerous prophecies all say that the destruction will proceed from the “north”. Even Ezekiel, written during the time of the Babylonian exile, speaks of Jah’s people being desolated from the “north”, prior to Armageddon. So too does Daniel speak of us being attacked by the King of the North, during the time of the end.

Jeremiah continues to speak of Jah’s people, likening them to sheep. “Howl, you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and for your scatterings have been fulfilled”. Interestingly, Joel also compares us to a lost fold of sheep during the time of the end.

“Listen! The outcry of the shepherds, and the howling of the majestic ones of the flock, for Jehovah is despoiling their pasturage. And the peaceful abiding places have been rendered lifeless because of the burning anger of Jehovah.” —Jeremiah chapter 25

Prophets ashamed

The oft-overlooked prophet of Zechariah also has something to add. Before the prophet describes Jehovah destroying all his enemies and becoming “king over all the earth”, he describes Jah’s people being refined.

As part of this process, those prophesying falsely will be silenced. He says, “And it must occur in that day that the prophets will become ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies; … And he will certainly say, ‘I am no prophet. I am a man cultivating the soil”. If we tie this in with the other prophecies of the whitewashed wall, it becomes obvious why the prophets are silenced and then deny they had anything to do with it.

Jehovah then describes the refining process of his people. ““And it must occur in all the land,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “that two parts in it are what will be cut off and expire; and as for the third part, it will be left remaining in it.”” This statement also ties in with many other prophecies. Jehovah’s people will be put through a time of testing. Indeed, is that not what the operation of error is for? To test his people, to see whether they have a real love for God?

Speaking of the remaining third, Jah says he will bring them “through the fire; and I shall actually refine them as in the refining of silver ... I will say, ‘It is my people,’ and it, in its turn, will say, ‘Jehovah is my God.’” —Zechariah chapter 13

Treacherous prophets

The true prophet Zephaniah said that the prophets of God’s people “were insolent, were men of treachery”. Jehovah then speaks of the day he will be “rising up” to “gather nations” and “collect together kingdoms, in order to pour out upon them my denunciation”. He continues to say that “by the fire of my zeal all the earth will be devoured”. And then what happens? “For then I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.”

Fittingly, our own institutional prophets say that the change to a “pure language” is happening now, or more specifically, since 1919. However, this too is part of the operation of error. For Zephaniah clearly shows that such an event will only take place after Jehovah has poured out his “denunciation” on the nations, and the earth is metaphorically devoured by fire.

Also, “then I shall remove from the midst of you your haughtily exultant ones; and you will never again be haughty in my holy mountain. And I shall certainly let remain in the midst of you a people humble and lowly, and they will actually take refuge in the name of Jehovah”. —Zephaniah chapter 3

What do all these things really mean for us?

An odd requirement for the true religion

We have briefly considered what the Old Testament prophets said about the operation of error among God’s people, prior to their disciplining at the end of the world.

The prophecies go into far more detail than we have time to consider here. As we saw above, they even speak of “haughtily exultant ones” existing among God’s people. These same ones will be cleared out by Jehovah. No doubt these are the same individuals as the evil slaves and “man of lawlessness” that Jesus will remove during his presence.

We are left with a rather odd fact: those who are worshipping Jehovah – i.e. the ‘true religion’ – must have treacherous prophets, a whitewashed wall of false prophecy, “haughtily exultant ones”, and commit enough badness to warrant Jehovah’s discipline and complete destruction. Then, afterwards, a mere remnant will emerge.

Somehow, I think it’s unlikely that the Watchtower will add that as a requirement for the ‘true religion’, to the next printing of the Reasoning book!

Yet, that is the situation presented before us. If someone was to look for the true religion, based on the assumption that it would have no problems existing inside it, they would never find Jehovah’s true people. In fact, it is doubtful that any religion is free of problems and false interpretations of scripture.

More to the point, no one would ever find the true faith – never once throughout all of history. The Jews with their system worship, while being the ‘true religion’, sinned so badly against Jehovah that he destroyed them – twice!

As odd as it seems, the true religion must have – in fact, the scriptures demand – false prophecy and wicked or evil slaves working side-by-side with those who are faithful and discreet. And let’s not forget the “man of lawlessness” secretly hiding in among the anointed. Worshipping Jehovah, without pagan delusions, are not the sole requirements of being in the true faith. These foretold problems are the identifying marks of Jesus’ household prior to the time of the end.

Let’s now consider for a moment how the brotherhood itself will react when they see our institutional false prophets and the man of lawlessness exposed. Will the numbers who fall away be anything like the two thirds mentioned by Zechariah?

How will the brotherhood react?

Imagine: the entire 1914 doctrine comes crashing down! Jehovah’s Watchtower organization, which we believed had God’s backing, will be completely destroyed by the “wild beast” of Satan’s political system. Even the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ who was supposedly appointed by God, will be gone! Perhaps even those on the Governing Body have been killed! (Joel 1:19) The printing presses fall silent. The public preaching work stops. For the first time in over 120 years, the Watchtower is no longer in print. The Bethels are empty and the officially recognized ‘religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ no longer exists.

How will the brotherhood feel? Will they not feel completely disillusioned? Will they not feel completely lost? Indeed, talking of this time Joel compares Jehovah’s people to sheep, saying, “O how the domestic animal has sighed! How the droves of cattle have wandered in confusion! For there is no pasturage for them. Also, the droves of the sheep have been the ones made to bear guilt.” —Joel 1:18

Exactly how will the brotherhood react spiritually? How many will continue to worship Jehovah, and how many will abandon their faith altogether because the Watchtower has been destroyed? How many will go back to Babylon the Great?

Interestingly, there is a way we can find out. Today there are many people who know that 1914 is a false teaching, and they also know that the faithful slave was not appointed in 1919. A large chunk of these people are called Rayites.

Ray Franz was a member of the Governing Body until he became an apostate and was disfellowshipped. Today he has achieved an almost cult-like following of former Jehovah’s Witnesses who hold him in high regards, who I contemptuously refer to as ‘Rayites’. They wrongly believe God has nothing to do with the Watchtower or Jehovah’s Witnesses. They also believe it is okay to take blood transfusions, and that all good persons go to heaven. Most importantly, they deny that 1914 was the start of Christ’s presence.

You see, Ray Franz was one of the brothers whose job was to write the Bible encyclopaedia Aid to Bible Understanding (which preceded the Insight volumes we now use). As part of his research, he had to present proof that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE.

The date of Jerusalem’s destruction is used to calculate the so-called ‘seven times prophecy’ in Daniel. Brother Russell believed that the seven times would last 2,520 years, starting from the time Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. He thought this was the time that Jesus spoke of, where he said “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled”. —Luke 21:24

From the context, it is obvious that the time Jesus spoke of was in the future, but regardless of that, this interpretation is the basis of the 1914 doctrine. For if we count 2,520 years from the time Jerusalem was allegedly destroyed (607 BCE), we come to 1914 CE.

So, what would it mean to the 1914 doctrine, if Jerusalem was not destroyed in 607 BCE? It would mean that 1914 was not the start of the “time of the end”, nor was the faithful slave appointed over all his master’s belongings in 1919! The entire 1914-1919 interpretation of prophecy would fall flat on its face! Ray Franz published a book rubbishing the 1914 doctrine based on an abundance of archaeological evidence that Jerusalem could not have been destroyed in 607 BCE. Another book by a Scandinavian author has also added more evidence to the pile.

The truth is that no one can prove when Jerusalem was (or was not) destroyed. The bible does not provide the necessary chronology, so we must rely on fallible human records, dug up out of the earth on archaeological digs. Worst of all, many of the ancient records actually contradict one another.

To brothers and sisters who believe the Future Judgment View, this is of no consequence. We did not start worshipping Jehovah God because we want to save our own skins; no, we do so because we love Jehovah. More to the point, we don’t believe that the “time of the end” began in 1914 anyway, and we strongly believe that Jesus will soon come to clean out his “household” of the wicked slaves, and then he will appoint the faithful slave “over all his belongings”. We are also convinced that Jehovah has allowed the 1914 doctrine to take shape to test his servants’ loyalty to him.

However, to those with no real love of Jehovah or the truth, they see the fallacy of the 1914 doctrine as a reason and excuse to abandon their faith entirely. If you casually browse any apostate sites on the Internet (although I would not recommend it), you will find many, many former brothers and sisters recommend Ray Franz’s book as essential reading for all who dislike Jehovah’s Witnesses, or who would like an excuse to leave.

You will see that many ex-Witnesses admit that they now gamble, commit fornication, celebrate Christmas, celebrate Easter, celebrate Halloween, believe the Trinity, believe in the immortal soul, practise homosexuality and adultery, believe in microbes-to-man evolution, use the cross, take blood transfusions, smoke cigarettes, stop using Jehovah’s name, say we will all go to heaven (or hell), and do many other vile unchristian things.

A huge proportion of ‘ex-JWs’ have completely abandoned every facet of the true Christian faith (and even traditional Christian faith!), using the 1914 fallacy as an excuse to do so. The apostle Peter wrote of them, saying “it would have been better for them not to have accurately known the path of righteousness than after knowing it accurately to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. The saying of the true proverb has happened to them: “The dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.”” —2 Peter 2:21-22

Interestingly, some apostates, including some Rayites, still claim to be ‘Christians’. While some may lead morally clean lives, it must be asked: just how many of those who read Franz books now lead totally unchristian lifestyles? How many are “using [this world] to the full” in pursuing worldly careers? How many have adopted pagan customs? How many obey Jesus words to “Go therefore and make disciples”? It is obvious to anyone who is not blind that a sizable proportion of apostate Witnesses, who left the worship of Jah due to Franz, are no longer clean, God-honouring Christians active in turning others to the Christian faith. As said earlier, many have abandoned everything and have become indistinguishable from the average man on the street that does nothing to worship Jehovah God. A quick look at apostate websites demonstrates this beyond all doubt!

Interestingly, one of Franz books is entitled In Search of Christian Freedom. The ‘freedom’, of course, is ‘freedom’ from the alleged tyranny of the Watchtower Society. However, in reality the ‘freedom’ he expresses is more like that which the apostle Peter talked about, when he said “While they are promising them freedom, they themselves are existing as slaves of corruption. For whoever is overcome by another is enslaved by this one. Certainly if, after having escaped from the defilements of the world by an accurate knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they get involved again with these very things and are overcome, the final conditions have become worse for them than the first”. How true the apostle’s words are! —2 Peter 2:19-20

While the 1914 fallacy does not effect brothers and sisters who believe in a future judgment, the writings of Ray Franz have literally destroyed the faith of (or ‘stumbled’) thousands upon thousands of Witnesses, sending them back out into the world. He has also hindered thousands more from coming to know and love Jehovah. Truly, Jesus Christ was speaking about such men when he said, “It is unavoidable that causes for stumbling should come. Nevertheless, woe to the one through whom they come! It would be of more advantage to him if a millstone were suspended from his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to stumble one of these little ones.” —Luke 17:1-2

So, we must ask ourselves the question: if that is how a large proportion of the brothers who read Franz’s book reacted, how will the entire brotherhood react when they see before their very eyes Jehovah’s organization being destroyed? When it becomes obvious that the “faithful slave” had not yet passed any test, how many brothers will abandon their entire worship of Jah? When the events of 1914 are dwarfed and completely eclipsed by new events, how many brothers will repudiate everything they learned from the Watchtower? How many will stand back, look at the collapse of our organization, and ask themselves ‘was it really the truth’?

Indeed, how many brothers and sisters will still love and worship Jehovah God, despite the collapse of the Watchtower society? That will be the greatest test of loyalty ever faced by all of Jehovah’s modern worshippers! We cannot even guess how many from among our brotherhood will rely on Jehovah during that time, instead of leaving him.

Truly, this will initiate the greatest cleansing of God’s people ever experienced. Speaking of that time, Malachi prophetically stated, “But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears? For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen. And he must sit as a refiner and cleanser of silver and must cleanse the [spiritual] sons of Levi; and he must clarify them like gold and like silver, and they will certainly become to Jehovah people presenting a gift offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:2-3) Those whose hearts are not with Jehovah, who perhaps only served as Witnesses to save their own skins, will be gone. The righteous will keep Jehovah as their confidence. “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection.” —Proverbs 18:10

Franz and all other apostates will be judged in the future. However, in the meantime his wide-eyed admirers allow us to see how the brotherhood might react upon seeing the 1914 ‘whitewashed wall’ crash down. As Jesus Christ said regarding the time of his presence, “many will be stumbled”! —Matthew 24:10

However, we are overlooking something very important. Do you remember what I said at the beginning of this essay, when I asked about those who have been stumbled by the Watchtower? What about those people? And what of the general public, who may have been prevented from learning God’s requirements because of the reproach put upon Jehovah’s name (either by ourselves unintentionally, or by followers of apostates like Franz)? How will these people react at the news of the Watchtower’s demise?

The Watchtower’s Destruction

Christendom and the world’s joy

Many will be happy to see Jehovah’s Witnesses destroyed. Let’s examine just one prophetic example. Speaking of that time, Jehovah made a statement to Christendom through Obadiah, “you ought not to watch the sight in the day of your brother, in the day of his misfortune”. The “brother” of Christendom is Jehovah’s people. How so? Because in Obadiah Christendom is represented by Edom, the genuine brother of the nation of Israel. Spiritual Israel too came from a common heritage, and our pagan brother is Christendom. —See ‘The lost prophecy of Obadiah’ for more information

Jehovah continues speaking to Christendom, “and you ought not to rejoice at the sons of Judah in the day of their perishing; and you ought not to maintain a big mouth in the day of their distress. You ought not to come into the gate of my people in the day of their disaster. You, even you, ought not to peer at his calamity in the day of his disaster; and you ought not to thrust out a hand upon his wealth in the day of his disaster.”

It seems many people will “rejoice”, brag, peer at us, and plunder us during the calamity we are soon to suffer. Additionally, there are those who “ought not to … cut off his escapees; and you ought not to hand over his survivors in the day of distress.” For it seems that our opposers will be so pleased to see our destruction, that they will actually help it to be accomplished!

That is not difficult to imagine. For example, suppose the authorities wanted to know the ins-and-outs of the organization, in order to track down and arrest every brother in charge. The number of former brothers on the internet willing to help in that matter would be immense. Many would be only too pleased, in conjunction with Christendom, to help the authorities hunt us down – even if it meant our deaths. We know this because it has happened before. In both Africa and communist Europe, apostates have helped track down their former associates. Even though they knew it would mean the deportation, rape, torture, and even death of the men, women and children they helped the authorities locate. Truly, “by their fruits you will recognize those men.” —Matthew 7:20

However, Jehovah says to such ones, “the day of Jehovah against all the nations is near. In the way that you have done, it will be done to you. Your sort of treatment will return upon your own head”! —Obadiah 12-15

Those stumbled

Apart from Christendom and the apostates, there are a surprising number of individuals who have been stumbled out of the worship of Jehovah. Some have been offended due to petty personal differences, while others have left from disgust due to some event or failure to act on the part of elders, while still others have been disfellowshipped without actually deserving it.

How will they feel at hearing the news of the sudden demise of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Some may have allowed their hearts to turn wicked, and will feel a perverted pleasure from seeing the organization go down – seeing all their former associates suffer. However, others may view things in a more balanced way. If they are really concerned with honouring Jehovah’s name, they will start to ask searching questions, and be more concerned for what it means for the truth and the true worship of God.

Anointed will prophesy

During the time of the end, the anointed on earth with prophesy “dressed in sackcloth” according to Revelation 11:3. As previously covered, sackcloth is a sign of mourning and repentance. No doubt much mourning and repenting will take place then. It is my conviction that at that time the anointed will perform an Elijah-like work.

Allow me to explain what I mean by that. Revelation describes the anointed at that time performing miracles like Elijah and Moses (Revelation 11:6), and the prophet Malachi foretold that “before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah” our God says “I am sending to you people Elijah the prophet” (Malachi 4:5). At one time, we as Jehovah’s Witnesses thought this verse meant that the real-life Elijah would be resurrected to Earth, prior to Armageddon (we even built a house for him to live in!). Nowadays, we have abandoned such ideas, as it is obvious that “Elijah” is metaphorical. Why? Because at Matthew 11:14 Jesus confirms that John the Baptist was the foretold Elijah.

However, there is a second modern application of the prophecy. As previously covered, Revelation tells us of the anointed performing Elijah-like works during the devastation of Jah’s people, “before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah”. The work of these Elijahs will be to “turn the heart of fathers back toward sons, and the heart of sons back toward fathers”. —Malachi 4:6

Notice that this work of theirs is the opposite of what Jesus said would inevitably happen during his presence. He said “many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10) It seems as though the anointed will undergo a unique work during the time of the end, trying to reconcile the brothers to each other, and keep the brotherhood worshipping Jehovah God.

However, eventually, “when they [the anointed] have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them”. Yes, Satan’s agents will eventually kill off all of the anointed ones.

The world is only too pleased at this. The passage says, “the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses … [and] rejoice over them and enjoy themselves, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those dwelling on the earth.”

Satan’s world is only too pleased to see the two prophets, who represent the anointed who “have the work of bearing witness to Jesus”, killed. However, their rejoicing is short-lived.

The passage continues, saying, “…after the three and a half days spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them.” The anointed ones are resurrected to life, much in the same manner as Jesus was, dying in flesh, but being raised as a spirit. For “they heard a loud voice out of heaven say to them: ‘Come on up here.’ And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them.”

Via some miraculous means, those who killed them – “their enemies” – will see and know that they have been raised to the heavens. The rest “became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

Despite being killed, their prophesying was not ultimately in vain, for Jehovah resurrected them and has something further in store for his now cleansed people, who are left remaining on Earth.

The restoration – and a final preaching work

Some persons have been stumbled out of the organization – some even stumbled by the policies and mistakes of the Watchtower Society itself! Now, however, the “oppressive wolves” and ‘evil slaves’ have been cleaned out of Jehovah’s household. In fact, the ‘Watchtower’ does not exist any longer. His anointed ones, who were preaching to the whole world, have recently been killed – yet, via some miraculous means – the entire globe sees them resurrected to heaven!

Now, Jehovah’s worshippers with an earthly hope experience the biggest outpouring of his Holy Spirit – ever!

The holy sprit

The verses and passages that the Watchtower (and our “operation of error”) has attributed to the post-1919 period will really be fulfilled then. Take, for example, Joel’s prophecy of the restoration of God’s people. These events take place after a foretold desolation of Jah’s worshippers takes place, and directly before he gathers all the Kings of the Earth to a great battle.

It says, “Jehovah will be zealous for his land and will show compassion upon his people… I shall not make you anymore a reproach among the nations. And the northerner I shall put far away from upon you”. It has been brought out several times in this essay that Jehovah’s Witnesses will be destroyed by the King of the North during the time of the end. That is the same “northerner” mentioned here.

“I will make compensation to you for… my great military force that I have sent among you” says Jehovah.

Then, “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.”

This very verse was initially fulfilled in the first century, when those in the upper room experienced Jehovah’s outpouring of his spirit. The apostle Peter even quoted it as proof. —Acts 2:16

However, there is a fulfilment for this during the time of the end also, after our restoration. We shall receive these very same spiritual gifts to assist in the new warning work.

Little one becomes a thousand

There are many other passages and verses that speak of a miraculous restoration, after a period of desolation and disciplining. After Israel’s restoration, Isaiah says, “No more will violence be heard in your land … Jehovah must become to you an indefinitely lasting light, and your God your beauty… And as for your people, all of them will be righteous; to time indefinite they will hold possession of the land ... The little one himself will become a thousand, and the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, shall speed it up in its own time.”

A remnant collected together

Jehovah said through Jeremiah, “I myself shall collect together the remnant of my sheep out of all the lands to which I had dispersed them, and I will bring them back to their pasture ground, and they will certainly be fruitful and become many. And I will raise up over them shepherds who will actually shepherd them; and they will be afraid no more, neither will they be struck with any terror, and none will be missing,” is the utterance of Jehovah.”

Some may think that simply applies to the restoration of Israel after their Babylonian exile. They would be wrong. ““Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will raise up to David a righteous sprout. And a king will certainly reign … In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”” This king, of course, is the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth

Isaiah said “the wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb … and a mere little boy will be leader over them… They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”

And during that time, “in that day”, “there will be the root of Jesse [Jesus Christ] that will be standing up as a signal for the peoples. To him even the nations will turn inquiringly, and his resting-place must become glorious… And he will certainly raise up a signal for the nations and gather the dispersed ones of Israel; and the scattered ones of Judah he will collect together from the four extremities of the earth.”

Nations stream to mountain of Jah

Additionally, during what Jehovah calls “the final part of the days”, he says “the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it all the nations must stream.”

This is undoubtedly a result of the massive infusion of Jah’s holy spirit into his newly cleansed and restored people. For “many peoples will certainly go and say: “Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.””

This event is the forming of the Great Crowd who will come out of the tribulation. Speaking of these peoples, Isaiah says “he [Jehovah] will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.”

Good news preached

Yes, all of Jehovah’s worshippers will preach that “the end of all things has drawn close” (1 Peter 4:7). Complete with literal miracles, just as in the first century, this work will be the biggest preaching campaign the world has ever seen! Jesus will say at that time, “You must prophesy again with regard to peoples and nations and tongues and many kings” (Revelation 10:11). That is why when Jesus was asked for signs of his presence he said, “…this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come”. For that particular verse will only be fulfilled during his presence, which has not yet commenced. —Matthew 24:14

Angel flies in midheaven

At that time, an “angel flying in midheaven” will have “everlasting good news to declare as glad tidings to those who dwell on the earth”. Under the angelic direction, Jehovah’s revived people will preach to “every nation and tribe and tongue and people”. The message delivered by the Angel is “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived, and so worship the One who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.” —Revelation 14:6-7

Since the “hour of the judgment by him has arrived” when the angel makes this proclamation, it would be unreasonable to believe that the angel started declaring this back in 1919, as the judgment did not begin 80 years ago. Do not allow the operation of error to fool you, this verse also finds it’s fulfilment in the future!

A chance for all mankind

Those who stopped worshipping Jehovah because of the Watchtower’s errors, or because of personal offence (perhaps even having a ‘chip on your shoulder’ against the organization), or due to gullibly believing lies spread by apostates, or because of any other reason, will have no excuse to not worship the true God Jehovah once again. Indeed, if they do not wish to worship him at this time, it will show the true motivations of their heart. Blaming the Watchtower for supposedly being in the wrong will no longer be an excuse for their inaction.

The miracles performed will present the entire globe with a stark choice: support God’s Kingdom, or support the demonic World Government with the demons in their rebellion against Jehovah. There will be no middle ground. “He that is not on my side is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters”. —Luke 11:23

During such turbulent times, people’s irrational fear of joining a supposed religious sect, or simple disbelief in God, will not prevent them from taking Jehovah’s side, if they have the right heart condition. Just as the first century miracles performed by the Apostles left all those who disbelieved inexcusable, it will be the same way in the future. For a fact, the world will even witness the resurrection of the anointed to heavenly glory!

The Jews of Jesus day were similarly condemned for their disbelief. They not only saw the Messiah, but they saw him perform amazing miracles, yet they chose to reject him anyway. Because of this, Jesus said they had sinned “against the holy spirit”, which “has no forgiveness forever”. —Mark 3:29

As Jesus said, these ones who will not side with Jehovah and Christ, despite seeing all the miraculous proof of the coming judgment, and hearing the warning from his invigorated preachers, “will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.” —Matthew 25:46

No one will be able to say that isn’t a fair test. ‘DECIDE NOW’ will be the message declared throughout the earth. Are you with Jehovah, or are you not? Those who choose to side with Satan and his disgusting counterfeit world government will truly be without excuse, sinning against the holy spirit of Almighty God.

Now let us take a step back, and consider for a moment exactly what this means.

None of those stumbled by the wicked slaves during the reign of the Watchtower will be killed, simply because they are not active Witnesses. They will be given the opportunity to choose where they stand, along with everyone else.

In fact, the Watchtower Society will be gone – there will be no such thing as an active publisher! Jehovah’s relationship with each individual will count – and none of the false shepherds or wolves in sheep’s clothing will be shown favour, no, for Jesus Christ will have already rejected them (no matter how high up they were in the organization)!

Every human on earth will be given the choice to stand for either Jehovah and his Christ, or for Satan and his world government. No one will be destroyed in mere ignorance. No, for a fact a great crowd of persons will come out of the tribulation: “…look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, … ‘These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” —Revelation 7:9-10, 14

This crowd will not merely be of persons who were formerly associated with the Watchtower Society, prior to its destruction. No, for it will be just as it was the Israelites came out of Egypt, when “a vast mixed company also went up with them”! —Exodus 12:38

Compare the above plan with the idea that many of our brothers and sisters presently have, that only those associated with the Watchtower Society will triumphantly march into the New World. They imagine we shall be simply sitting on the sidelines while the rest of humanity is incinerated (with Christendom going down first, of course)!

Thankfully, Jehovah’s plan is no where near so simple, or so horribly unfair and unloving to mankind. Everyone who has a right heart condition will survive. The world will be preached to again, everyone will be warned, and everyone will be presented with a stark choice! ‘Are you in, or not?’ Being baptised into the Watchtower Society will not be the sole saving grace for mankind. Spiritual direction will then come directly from Jesus Christ and the 144,000 anointed “kings and priests”. For the Watchtower will have served its purpose in Jehovah’s plan, and will then take its place in the history books.

What an amazing piece of wisdom Jehovah’s plan for the future ‘Time of the End’ really is! The brilliance of it is astounding!

The conclusion of the matter…

Do you remember what God’s friend Abraham asked? We mentioned it at the start of this essay. He asked Jehovah, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” The answer is most certainly NO. Many decades ago, Jehovah, in his infinite wisdom, set in motion a great test for all his servants, an “operation of error”. This plan of his is proceeding exactly as he foresaw. Through it, not one undeserving person will survive into the new world, and the opportunity of everlasting life will be presented to all mankind – including those formerly stumbled out of his worship.

Truly, the words of the psalmist are correct, that Jehovah is not unrighteous. “Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he.” —Deuteronomy 32:4