what the Watchtower has done, very effectively, is resurrect the tyrannical God of Darkness, the Father of the Original Lie ("on the DAY that you eat from it, you will positively die"), the God of Fear from the Old Testament, and made it a household name.
I don't what your book says, dear PS (peace to you) but... YES!!!! They are the fulfillment of Revelation 13:11-18!!
"And I saw another wild beast ascending out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, but it began speaking as a dragon. And it exercises all the authority of the first wild beast in its sight. And it makes the earth and those who dwell in it worship the first wild beast, whose death-stroke got healed."
Here, they are the beast that ascends out of the earth. They are the ONLY ones who put focus on an "earthly" hope, such that they minds are "upon the things on the earth." The two horns are the WT and AW magazines through which they speak AS IF Christ is directing them... and thus, AS a lamb... but it actually LIES "as a dragon." The "first wild beast" is the form of worship that was FEAR-mongering "Judaism", including its non-anointed "priesthood" and religious leadership... which USED to exercise authority over Israel by misuse of the Law Covenant! It received a "death stroke" which the Most Holy One of Israel later "healed." (Jeremiah 30:12, 15, 17) These now use that SAME "form of worship" to exercise authority even more than the former form of worship under the Jews to make those who dwell in the earth... particularly those with an "earthly" hope... WORSHIP with that form of worship... a "godly devotion" that "proves false to its power."
"And it performs great signs, so that it should even make fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the sight of mankind." And it misleads those who dwell on the earth, because of the signs that were granted it to perform in the sight of the wild beast, while it tells those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the wild beast that had the sword-stroke and yet revived."
They mislead those who profess both an "earthly" hope by means of their talk of "1914", "Faithful and Discreet Slave", "Armageddon", and things like these. In doing this, they, through FEAR-mongering, make those who follow them turn BACK... to the form of worship that God previously gave a death stroke then revived, worship by SIGHT... as was done when worshipping God had the temple and priesthood as its features.
"And there was granted it to give breath to the image of the wild beast, so that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed all those who would not in any way worship the image of the wild beast."
Here, they use that former way of worship... and its associated FEAR... by saying "the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah WE are" (Jeremiah 7:4)... to compel those who dwell in the earth to worship THEM... they who are the "IMAGE" of the wild beast (which beast was the former way of worship).
"And it puts under compulsion all persons, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, that they should give these a mark in their right hand or upon their forehead..."
That "mark" is identification as "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"... and a thus, a pretty binding relationship with that beast... the WTBTS... which is received when such ones take their "oath" of loyalty and allegiance TO that beast... with oath is RATIFIED by their being baptized into IT... versus baptized into Christ. However, there are people of ALL ilks in that beast, the "image"... small and great, rich and poor, free and slave... and all have it's "mark." In contrast, LOVE is the identifying "mark" of one who belongs to Christ (and no, I am not saying that all who love are so marked as belonging to Christ... though I would venture to say that that is true, on some level; however, I am saying that all who belong to Christ are so marked... by their love).
"and that nobody might be able to buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name. Here is where wisdom comes in: Let the one that has intelligence calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is a man’s number; and its number is six hundred and sixty-six."
So many have and still do spend their time and turn their wheels trying to figure out that number, 666. They do this because of the "riddle" contained in the text. What they miss, however, is that the riddle, indeed the number... is a red herring! And in speculating and chasing that decoy, they miss what is right before their nose: that knowing the mark is NOT limited to knowing the number - one can know it... by knowing the NAME OF THE WILD BEAST. If you know the NAME... then you can know the meaning of the number... a "man's" number (and thus "earthly") and not God's number ("heavenly"). Again, they are the ONLY ones who put emphasis on an "earthly" hope. Not that man's ultimate hope is NOT for the earth - it absolutely is. But by compelling their followers to have their minds "upon the things on the earth"... they have led them to walk by sight... which BLINDS... rather than by FAITH... which reveals.
The name of the "image" of the wild beast (the former way of worshipping God)... is the "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society".... of whatever. Pennsylvania, New York... East Cambodia... whathaveyou. They are the ones who have breathed "life" back into that former way of worship. They are the ones who "compel" all those in the earth, rich, poor, small, great, etc., to worship that former wild beast. They are the ones who disallow buying or selling unless one has their mark. They are the ones who have two horns like lamb but speak as a dragon. And the number is simply the "sum" of their faslse propaganda regarding THEIR "cleanliness", "righteousness", and "truth,"... NONE of which exists... ALL of which falls short.
I hope this helps... and again, I wish you peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA
