“He is changing times and seasons, removing kings.” (Dan. 2:21)
We all want to know what the future holds. So did King Nebuchadnezzar. He had a dream, which is nothing uncommon per se. All people have dreams time and again. But Nebuchadnezzar took his dream for a sign from God. Hence, he consulted “all the wise men of Babylon [the Great],” but none of them was able to interpret his dream. (Dan. 2:12) After some time, Daniel, a servant of Jehovah, had a similar dream and could tell the king its meaning.
As the November 1, 1993 Watchtower pointed out, “we know that some of Daniel’s prophecies were to be fulfilled in our time.” (p. 8) That applies to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream – it fulfills right in front of our eyes. Thus, it is of paramount importance for us to scrutinize it and take appropriate steps.
An Image
Daniel explained: “You, O king, happened to be beholding, and, look! a certain immense image. That image, which was large and the brightness of which was extraordinary, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was dreadful.” (Dan. 2:31) What does this “immense image” illustrate? The December 1, 1976 Watchtower gives an important hint: “There is an image, however, that has been looked to for more than thirty years as man’s best hope for peace. It is not some figure of a human or an animal but is an international organization … What is that organization?” – p. 709.
Which “international organization” claims to have “man’s best hope for peace?” As Awake! wrote in its December 22, 1995 issue, only Jehovah’s Witnesses “advocate God’s Kingdom as the only hope for true peace.” (p. 24) Hence, the “image” is the Watchtower organization. This organization is really “immense” and “large,” for it floods the whole earth with its pamphlets. Its “brightness” is “extraordinary,” since by their own admission, their publications always contain “brighter light,” for many decades now.
Since the image is so extraordinarily bright, why does Daniel say: “Its appearance was dreadful?” This does not refer to the Watchtower organization itself, but to their followers. Many of them wear clothes that could only be purchased at a flea market even hundred years ago. They don’t care much about themselves, their appearance and their health (because Armageddon is at hand anyway); hence, they look miserable and “dreadful.” They are derided, but they take the mockery as a proof of being true Christians. (2. Pet. 3:3) That’s why they think that ‘their brightness would be extraordinary’ though their fellow men view them as “dreadful.”
The Beginnings
Daniel describes the image: “Its head was of good gold, its breasts and its arms were of silver, its belly and its thighs were of copper, its legs were of iron, its feet were partly of iron and partly of molded clay.” (Dan. 2:32, 33) That the materials got cheaper and cheaper shows that an initially good organization would more and more diverge from its ideals.
Then Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar: “You, O king … you to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom … you yourself are the head of gold.” (Dan. 2:37) Whom did God charge with proclaiming “the kingdom?” It was Charles Taze Russell, of whom Jehovah’s Witnesses think that he is now ruling as heavenly “king.” According to Prof. S. A. Ellis, “he is without a parallel in this Age. Without a blemish in his character, with the loftiest ideals of God, and the possibilities of man, he towers like a giant, unmatched. … [He] is stamping his opinion on the world as no other man has done since the days of the Reformation.” (quoted from The Finished Mystery, p. 126) There can really be no doubt that “the head of gold” is C. T. Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Society.[*]
Daniel continued to tell Nebuchadnezzar: “After you there will rise another kingdom.” (Dan. 2:39) Indeed, there rose another “king” after Russell’s death, Judge Rutherford. But his “kingdom” was of “another” kind than Russell’s, as he did not emphasize on the individual Christian’s freedom but rather laid the foundation for an all-dominating centralized organization.
Global Expansion
After that, Daniel mentioned “another kingdom, a third one … that will rule over the whole earth.” (Dan. 2:39) This indicates a time of global expansion. Indeed, Nathan Homer Knorr, the third president of the Watch Tower Society, delivered the lecture “The Problems of Reconstruction and Expansion” in 1946. He became president in 1942, and according to the April 1, 1972 Watchtower “especially from 1945 onward, global expansion was truly under way.” – p. 403.
Hence, the third “king” is N. H. Knorr, who like a clever businessman turned Jehovah’s Witnesses to a tightly organized preacher organization. Hundreds of thousands of publishers dedicated all their spare time to selling their organization’s books from house to house. Even a “Theocratic Court” was held under his presidency.
“Strong like Iron”
N. H. Knorr was still president of the Watch Tower Society in 1975. This year came and went, but the foretold end of man’s rule did not occur. Thus, a firm hand was required to keep the Watchtower followers together. Exactly this type of leadership had been foretold by Daniel: “As for the fourth kingdom, it will prove to be strong like iron. Forasmuch as iron is crushing and grinding everything else, so, like iron that shatters, it will crush and shatter even all these.” – Daniel 2:40.
The fourth “king” and fourth president of the Watch Tower Society was Frederick William Franz. He made sure that all “marplots” who doubted his ideas were disfellowshipped, including his nephew Raymond Victor Franz. Even Carl Olof Jonsson, who made the Watch Tower officials aware of discrepancies in their calculation of 607 and 1914, has been thrown out during Franz’ presidency. Indeed, F. W. Franz ‘crushed and shattered’ everything that stood in his way.
But the image had two “legs … of iron.” (Dan. 2:33) The second leg represents Milton George Henschel, who was president of the Watch Tower Society from 1992 to 2000. Basically, he continued the iron-like management style of his predecessor. For example, the new “understanding” about the “generation” of Matthew 24 (that has been abandoned in 2008) was published during his presidency.
Unstable Feet
Now Daniel explained the condition that the Watchtower organization would face towards the end of its existence: “As for the toes of the feet being partly of iron and partly of molded clay, the kingdom will partly prove to be strong and will partly prove to be fragile. Whereas you beheld iron mixed with moist clay, they will come to be mixed with the offspring of mankind.” – Dan. 2:42, 43.
The feet symbolize the Watchtower organization’s condition since the year 2000. At that time, its management was reorganized, so that the Governing Body does not at the same time make up the directors of the Watch Tower Society. (see Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, vol. 2, p. 317) The president and other managers are now from “the offspring of mankind,” that is, from the ‘other sheep’ that are not born again in Christ (John 3:3) The Governing Body has to cooperate with these (allegedly their future subjects), so that anointed and non-anointed Christians are “mixed” at the executive floors in Brooklyn.
In what way the management of the Watchtower organization “will partly prove to be strong and will partly prove to be fragile?” Since F. W. Franz’ death they are lacking a charismatic leader. There were even rumors about a kind of power struggle within the Governing Body. Indeed, no clear course can be seen in all the theological and organizational changes of the past years. For example, they abolished meetings, but at the same time they say that Christians should gather “all the more” in our time. – Heb. 10:25.
The End Nears
“The end nears,” says the brochure Keep on the Watch!. (p. 21) But likely, the writers did not consider that their own end is involved. The prophet Daniel, inspired by God, continued to explain “that out of the mountain a stone was cut not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the copper, the molded clay, the silver and the gold. … At that time the iron, the molded clay, the copper, the silver and the gold were, all together, crushed and became like the chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away so that no trace at all was found of them.” – Dan. 2:45, 35.
What does the “stone” that will finally crush the image stand for? It was ‘cut out of the mountain.’ And “streaming to ‘the mountain of Jehovah’s house’” means “becoming his baptized witnesses,” according to the May 15, 1988 Watchtower. (p. 17) Hence, the “mountain” represents the Watchtower organization. The “stone” are apostates who were disfellowshipped “not by hands” – not by physical violence, but by a judicial committee. Using books and brochures, internet forums and other means, they uncover the errors of the Watch Tower Society and their presidents.
They have fully discarded all Watchtower teachings, “so that no trace at all was found” in their minds. But it is only a question of time until nothing at all will remain of this mendacious organization. Their followers will be scattered to the four winds “like the chaff from the summer threshing floor.”
But don’t C. T. Russell, J. F. Rutherford, N. H. Knorr, F. W. Franz and M. G. Henschel already rule as heavenly kings? This may be true, but Jehovah “is changing times and seasons, removing kings.” (Dan. 2:21) These self-proclaimed kings will face the same destiny as Saul, who was first chosen and then abolished by Jehovah. – 1 Sam. 10:1, 16:14.
It Will Come True
Some may argue, this prospect would be too good to be true. But “the dream is reliable, and the interpretation of it is trustworthy.” (Dan. 2:45) The Bible’s statement is clear. The major part of the prophecy has already fulfilled, and there is no doubt that the remaining part will come true within a short time.
[*] According to worldly sources, William Henry Conley was the first president of the WTS and Charles Taze Russell the second one. But there is no reason why we should doubt the writings of the “faithful and discreet slave” which call Russell consistently “the first president of the Watch Tower Society.” (compare Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, p. 576)
