but I am asking this question because recent events are starting to seem (to me) to fit well the description of some prophecies in the Bible.
If we are to believe that the actual events happening in the
world are a sign of the Great Tribulation, then perhaps Watchtower’s lie of
1914 has become successfully embedded into our being. I’m not saying that stuff isn’t happening. I don’t walk around believing that all is
right in the world when it’s not, but I keep in mind, Jesus’ words:
“Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of
God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not
come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See
here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20,21
He’s telling us that the literal earthquakes, the famine, and
the wars between nations mentioned in Matt 24 are not the signs we are to look
for. (Matt 16:1-3; Luke 12:54-56) It is similar to his account of the “yeast/leaven
of the Pharisees”. His disciples thought
he was talking about literal bread, when it was the teachings he was warning
them of. ( John 16:6,11,12; 6:35)
If you believe it’s possible to be deceived, then you must
believe that evil is behind it.
If we focus only on the literal, and forget the words of Jesus
in Luke 17:20,21, someone is behind the curtain pulling our strings. We have been deceived. (1 Pet 2:1-3; 1 Tim
4:1) The Wt. interprets the signs Jesus gave his disciples in Matt. 24 as “pains
of distress”. Before these signs are to
occur, they say the kingdom was “born” in 1914.
It is then followed with these “pains of distress”. The clearer translation for Matt 24:8 tells
us that these symbolic signs are “birth pains”, and birth pains naturally come before
birth, – the birth of the Kingdom of God.
Pretty twisted, isn’t it!
“tribulation”
“birth pains”
“the kingdom is within you”
“it does not come with observation”
Ask any woman who has given birth, and she will tell you
that much of the Greek definition for “tribulation” can apply to birth - a
pressing, pressing together, oppression, affliction, distress. Who’s giving “birth” to the Kingdom under severe
tribulation, which is also a sifting, a sorting out of what is truth and what
is a lie? (Luke 22:31) It is an analogy that is used in many places
in the scriptures.
"For we know that the whole
creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not
only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for
the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
Rom 8:22-24
The promised covenant signified by a woman (Gal 4:23,24,26),
is in “labor” in Rev 12:1,2.
At this point, you probably don’t believe there are genuine
anointed under the New Covenant, in the organization. Well, this is the same organization that has taken
captive (Col 2:8; Rev 13:10) and deceived a spiritual people (“Israel”) into
believing they must look at the world of literal events, instead of focusing on
their own heart. (Matt 24:24,25) Truth or lies, they have to decide. (Joel
3:14) If they decide they are the
victims of deceit by false prophets, and do something about it by their “testimony”
to Christ’s words such as those above, they will fulfill these additional signs
that Jesus and the scriptures tell us would occur – Luke 12:51-53; Mark 10:29,30; Matt 5:11,12; 10:17-19;
John 16:2; Heb 13:13; Rev 13:15; 12:11
This happens in the
opposite order than what the Wt. says. The
anointed and those with them fulfill these signs as they are exiting the door
of a judicial committee, leading to their exodus from the organization (another
Sodom, another Egypt, Rev 11:8).
Who doesn’t experience internal “earthquakes” when we find
out that what we’ve believed for years, is not “the truth”? When we realize it isn’t truth,
we then perceive the spiritual “famine” that exists in the organization. (Ezek
5:16; Amos 8:11; Mal 2:7-9; Rev 18:8)
Nations rising against nations? The anointed are “kings” from all nations.
(1 Pet 2:9; Rev 5:9,10) I wonder sometimes just how many anointed ones have
been disfellowshipped, since it became the thing to do. Why does the elder body
label one as “apostate”, if not because of a verbal conflict that happens over what is
true, and what is a lie.
If we read through the signs of Matt 24, it mentions the
word, “deceive” in the NKJV, four times.
It also mentions “false prophets” twice, “false christs” once. They deceive the “elect”/anointed. (Matt
24:24,25) A “wicked slave”, and its partners “drunk” on its teachings (elder body),
“beats” down his fellow servants. This gives more evidence that the “kings”
belonging to Christ, are at war with one another. (1 Pet 2:5,9; Rev 1:1,5; 13:5-7;16:13-16) Ray Franz, whom most all of us have heard of,
is just one example of an anointed one fighting in this war.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to
the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and
being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
2 Cor 10:3-6
One man, Jesus Christ, stated that the Kingdom will not come
with observation (the Greek word means, “ocular evidence”); yet millions of
people throughout the world will tell us otherwise, and the show goes on just
as people prefer to believe. It’s as if they are saying, “see there!”. (Luke
17:21) As scripture says, “the whole world lies under
the sway of the wicked one”.
1 John 5:19
