In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus foretold that earthquakes “in one place after another” would be part of the sign of the last days clímaxing in the great tribulation.
Luke 17:20 -
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”.
observation
– “inspection, ocular evidence”.
If we take
these words as the truth that they are, then Jesus is not talking about literal
earthquakes or wars among nations to be observed, or to keep our eyes on. There are two sets of signs, one that Jesus
is speaking about, and one that creates a diversion tactic, a deterrent from
the real “war” and real “earthquakes” that affect an individual. Real, meaning
the spiritual, not the physical. 1 Cor 2:14 “The whole world lies in the power
of the wicked one” 1 John 5:19. Although the earth is bound to have earthquakes anyway, Satan
can also create his own set of signs that requires observation. The Wt. has set up a kingdom, that can be
observed and revered. But Jesus said
right after Luke 17:20 - “ nor
will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of
God is within you.” That’s not
something that can be observed, but only felt.
We see Satan’s power at work in the book of Job. He can also convince people to look for those physical signs, through the mouths of his “ministers” – false teachers/prophets. 2 Cor 11:13-15
In Luke 21,
the very first thing that Jesus tells us is that false teachers/ prophets will
arise saying “the time is at hand”, and they will appear to represent
Christ. He says, don’t go after them
(Luke 21:8); but guess what, those who became JWs, certainly did
go after them; especially the “elect”/saints/anointed priests-kings, which was
prophesied to happen. Matt 7:15; 24:24,25;
Luke 22:31; 1 Tim 4:1; Col 2:8; Rev 13:10
He then
mentions wars, famine, earthquakes. But he says, “But before all
these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up
to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and
rulers for my name’s sake.“ Luke
21:12-13
For the sake
of Jesus Christ, not for being a JW. John
16:2,3
So, we’re
back to the presence of false prophets (because it mentions religious synagogues/”congregations”),
and what they do to those who reject their teachings. If, in the organization we stand up for the
words of Christ over the words of the GB, what happens? We are “brought before” the ruling elders
under the authority of anointed “kings” (Rev 5:9,10), “governors”. Luke 21:12-13; Matt 10:18; Luke 22:24-26 We give our testimony to Christ’s teachings,
we expose the lies in the same manner that Jesus did.
And, what
comes next does happen as a result:
“You will be
betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of
you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all
for My name’s sake.” Luke 21:16-17
If the signs
are spiritual, then this “death” in this day, is through disfellowshipping. (Rev
13:11,12,15)
17 And you will be hated by all for
My name’s sake.”
Those “apostates”
who leave the lies and reject the organization as belonging to God, are
certainly hated. If we use the words of
Jesus, the scriptures, to refute the lies when before a judicial committee, the
hammer comes down. (John 16:2; Rev 13:10,15)
So what kind
of earthquakes is Jesus talking about? The
tremors and upheaval in the “soil”/earth of our heart when we
find out we were serving the lie. Our heart undergoes change. Heb 12:27 And “earthquakes” that come from God, a shaking
of His people. Matt 13:18-23; Hos 10:12; Isa 7:2; Isa 52:2; Amos 9:9; Jer 31:33
And the
wars? Jesus faced a war in his day
against the Pharisees, a war of his truth against their lies. Luke 20:20; Mark
3:1,2; John 8:13-14,23-24,39-47
It was a
decision-making war for all who heard his message. Joel 3:14 Don’t we also see this today? There is the term coined, “the Vast Apostate Army”,
dedicated to bring down the Wt. About the apostates, D. Splain himself said, "Brothers and Sisters,
this is war”.
The two “Beasts”
that “kill” any who refuse to worship it, (Rev 13:5,8), “make war with the
saints”. (Rev 13:7)
And there, is
the war that Jesus was talking about that happens to the anointed in the last
days. Sure, the world is physically
suffering from wars, but as Paul said, our war is spiritual, not carnal. There are anointed ones very active outside
the organization, using God’s Word to tear down the GB’s lies. 1 Cor 11:19; 2
Cor 10:3-6 Those that remain inside the
organization, believe in watching and counting the earthquakes and wars that they can observe, expecting the Kingdom to arrive any minute, but they are totally
blind to the trap that they believe is their salvation. Amos 5:18
Oh, and
famine - “Behold, the days are coming,”
says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord. Amos 8:11
So, am I
putting to much emphasis on the Watchtower?
There are a remnant of genuine anointed who are the target of deception. They belong to Christ, they are his kings of
the earth/priests. (Rev 1:5,6; 1 Pet 2:5,9) Just as Satan was trying to deceive and destroy
Christ, he is also wanting to destroy the members of Christ’s body…using deceit through the mouths of false prophets/teachers.
“I saw coming out of the mouth of the
dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false
prophet, three unclean spirits, something like frogs; 14 for
they are spirits of demons, performing signs; which go out to the kings of
the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war
of that great day of God, the Almighty.
15 “Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed
is he who watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and
they see his shame.”
16 He (the dragon) gathered them together into the place which is called in
Hebrew, “Megiddo”.
Armageddon
Luke 22:31-32
