Posts by raymond frantz

4

DEFEND YOUR BORDERS OR LISTEN TO THE WATCHTOWER?

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/dnoww-4jfao?si=ehzmc5-gxqukgn7q.

with ww3 on the horizon the watchtower is bringing out their best hits on the issue of neutrality and the latest instalment on jw.org with stephen lett has the theme " why ancient israelites were allowed to go to war but as a christian you can't " or to paraphrase for a 2024 audience " why the modern state of israel is allowed all the nuclear weapons to defend their borders but you as a western european or north american you aren't supposed to compliant against open border policies and uncontrolled illegal migration" isn't that the exact same rhetoric or is it my imagination?

so one of stephen lett's go to arguments is that christians do not take up arms because we don't live in ancient times where israelites had a mandate to occupy the holy land where as we gentile christians we don't.

raymond frantz

I'm not quite sure what you mean? What is your ideal post and why?

4

DEFEND YOUR BORDERS OR LISTEN TO THE WATCHTOWER?

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/dnoww-4jfao?si=ehzmc5-gxqukgn7q.

with ww3 on the horizon the watchtower is bringing out their best hits on the issue of neutrality and the latest instalment on jw.org with stephen lett has the theme " why ancient israelites were allowed to go to war but as a christian you can't " or to paraphrase for a 2024 audience " why the modern state of israel is allowed all the nuclear weapons to defend their borders but you as a western european or north american you aren't supposed to compliant against open border policies and uncontrolled illegal migration" isn't that the exact same rhetoric or is it my imagination?

so one of stephen lett's go to arguments is that christians do not take up arms because we don't live in ancient times where israelites had a mandate to occupy the holy land where as we gentile christians we don't.

raymond frantz

https://youtu.be/dNowW-4Jfao?si=ehzMc5-GXQUkgN7Q

With WW3 on the horizon the Watchtower is bringing out their best hits on the issue of neutrality and the latest instalment on jw.org with Stephen Lett has the theme " Why ancient Israelites were allowed to go to war but as a Christian you can't " or to paraphrase for a 2024 audience " Why the modern state of Israel is allowed all the nuclear weapons to defend their borders but you as a Western European or North American you aren't supposed to compliant against open border policies and uncontrolled illegal migration" Isn't that the exact same rhetoric or is it my imagination? So one of Stephen Lett's go to arguments is that Christians do not take up arms because we don't live in ancient times where Israelites had a mandate to occupy the Holy Land where as we Gentile Christians we don't. But I'm here to make the exact opposite argument using Scriptures (but before we do that, let’s see what our favourite jw clown has to say...)
So here are some verses that you won't find in the Watchtower publications to support my argument. The Bible makes it clear that God has established nations and their borders, and defending those borders is part of maintaining the order He set in place. Acts 17:26 states, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” Notice, God didn’t just create people and let them roam freely without limits—He assigned nations their specific territories and boundaries. These aren’t arbitrary lines; they’re part of God’s divine arrangement.
Now, here’s where things get tricky. The Watchtower promotes a position of neutrality, insisting that Christians shouldn’t participate in any form of warfare, even if it means defending their homeland. But how does that align with God’s plan for nations to have and maintain their borders? After all, what good is a border if it’s left wide open or undefended? Romans 13:1-4, which they love to quote alot, gives governments the authority to maintain law and order, which would naturally include protecting their borders, right?: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.” Clearly, protecting a nation’s borders is part of the God-given role of governments, and it requires participation from their citizens.
Let’s not forget Nehemiah’s example. When the Israelites, came back from Babylon and were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, their enemies threatened to attack. Did Nehemiah tell everyone to throw up their hands in neutrality? Hardly. Instead, he told them in Nehemiah 4:14, *“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”So I say what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Nehemiah understood that defending their territory was essential to preserving their identity and protecting their families. And guess what? God didn’t rebuke them for it.
But here’s the irony: The Watchtower historically took a strong stance against globalism,not anymore, warning about a “new world order” that seeks to erase borders and create one unified system, much like the Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:4 records the people’s rebellious intent: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” God’s response? “So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:8). Clearly, God values diversity and distinct nations, not one centralized global society.
Yet, by promoting absolute neutrality, the Watchtower’s stance inadvertently aids this very globalist agenda that supposedly opposes. If nations can not defend their borders because their citizens refuse to participate, what’s left to stop a borderless, centralized system? It’s like locking the door to your house, but leaving the keys in the lock—it defeats the purpose.
Christians are called to be peacemakers, but that doesn’t mean passivity in the face of threats. The Bible shows that defending one’s homeland and borders can be both righteous and necessary. When God establishes nations and boundaries, He expects them to be maintained, not left undefended. By refusing any involvement in defending those borders, the Watchtower’s stance undermines the very order God has set in place. Surely, there’s room for Christians to support the preservation of what God has ordained without compromising their faith.
Now, having said that, if there was a WW3 in Europe tomorrow will I send my son to die in that war? Absolutely not, modern Western European countries and their North American counterparts have already been taken over by the same globalist elites that will use wars, famines and pestilences to bring about an end to borders and national identities for their precious New World Order. They can achieve that with the blood of their children not mine! So my advise is fo not listen to the Watchtower’s false narrative for neutrality be the master of your security and act in accordance to your local circumstances not those of Stephen Letts.

1

The Last will not be as bad you think

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/4sxc3gncea8?si=lrs70jrmduogxlwn.

hi guys today im considering the second part from david schafer's recent talk, where he goes through a few prophetic signs of the end and the most up to date understanding of the watchtower, i did cover on my last video the most up to date understanding on the "hailstone message" please go back and watch it and today im considering this very dangerous understanding the watchtower has developed recently that things can not get any worse.

of course, that's what happens when you isolate yourself as leadership from the daily struggle of your membership and you live carefree life in leafy upstate new york eirh everything paid for.

raymond frantz

https://youtu.be/4SXC3gNCea8?si=LrS70jRmdUoGxLwN

Hi guys today im considering the second part from David Schafer's recent talk, where he goes through a few prophetic signs of the End and the most up to date understanding of the Watchtower, I did cover on my last video the most up to date understanding on the "Hailstone message" please go back and watch it and today im considering this very dangerous understanding the Watchtower has developed recently that things can not get any worse. Of course, that's what happens when you isolate yourself as leadership from the daily struggle of your membership and you live carefree life in leafy upstate New York eirh everything paid for.
This is another attempt from the Watchtower to lule you into a false sense of security.They say Don't worry things will not get as bad as you think, you can still have your Bible studies and return calls even during the time of the End, this is dangerous and reminds me the verse where the false prophets of Israel were crying "Peace,Peace but there is no peace".So let's hear it from the horse's mouth....

So here is the paragraph in question that David Schafer is referring to from August 15 ,2015. Watchtower:
"But how bad do you expect conditions to become before “the great tribulation”? (Rev. 7:14) For example, do you expect that there will be a war in every country, no food on anyone’s table, and illness in every household? Under those conditions, even sceptics would likely feel compelled to admit that Bible prophecy was undergoing fulfilment. However, Jesus said that most people would take “no note” of his presence, carrying on with life’s normal activities until it is too late. (Read Matthew 24:37-39.) Thus, the Scriptures indicate that world conditions during the last days would not become so extreme that people would be forced to believe that the end is near.—Luke 17:20; 2 Pet. 3:3, 4.
########
This understanding is based on the Watchtower take that we're already living in the last days since 1914, if this true that raises a major question: If this is the "last days," why does the world still look like business as usual most of the time? Sure, we’ve seen wars, pestilences, and famines since 1914, but does that really measure up to the catastrophes described in the Bible? Not even close.
Let’s start with Matthew 24:37-39, where Jesus compares the last days to the time of Noah. He said people would be eating, drinking, marrying, and generally living life as if nothing unusual was happening—until disaster struck. The argument that world conditions won’t become extreme enough to wake people up is partly true. Many will be oblivious. But that doesn’t mean things won’t get unimaginably worse.
For example, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in Revelation 6:1-8. These symbolic riders aren’t just a mild inconvenience—they represent conquest, war, famine, and death on a catastrophic scale. Revelation 6:8 spells it out: these events will claim one-fourth of the world’s population
"And authority was given them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with a long sword and with food shortage and with deadly plague and by the wild beasts of the earth"Let that sink in. That’s over two billion people today. A few wars and food shortages in the past century don’t come close to this level of devastation.
Now let’s talk about those supposed "last days" since 1914. Have we seen anything resembling the scale of destruction described in Revelation 6:8? Not even during the two world wars. Sure, they were horrific, but they didn’t wipe out a quarter of humanity. And while we’ve had diseases like the recent pandemic and famines in some regions, they don’t compare to the apocalyptic conditions described in Matthew 24:21, where Jesus said, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, nor will occur again.”
The Bible is clear: things will get much worse. In Luke 21:10-11, Jesus predicts wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilence—not scattered across centuries as the Watchtower will have you believe, but escalating and converging as signs of the end. These events will be so overwhelming that people’s hearts will fail them "from fear of what is coming upon the earth" (Luke 21:26).
And what about sceptics? The idea that conditions will never get extreme enough to convince them misses the point. As 2 Peter 3:3-4 notes, scoffers will deny that anything has changed, even as the signs become undeniable.We read :"First of all know this, that in the last days ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires 4 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 they were from creation’s beginning.”It’s not that the signs will be subtle as the Watchtower will have you believe—it’s that many people will stubbornly refuse to believe.
The Last Days never began in 1914 as the Watchtower will have you believe, this is a false teaching based on pyramidology, the last days are still ahead of us, the wars, the pestilences the famines are still ahead of us. So don't believe for one moment this is the worst it can possibly get, as David Schafer will have you believe.
So, let’s recap: Yes, things will get a lot worse. We’re not talking about isolated wars or temporary shortages but a global upheaval so severe it kills a quarter of humanity and leaves no corner of the earth untouched. The great tribulation (Revelation 7:14) isn’t just another rough patch in history—it’s the climax of human suffering, the likes of which the world has never seen.
To say we’ve already been living through the last days since 1914 is like claiming the warm-up act at a concert is the main event. The real "great tribulation" and the full fury of the Four Horsemen are still the future. Buckle up because when it comes, it won’t leave anyone guessing whether Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. Do not fool yourselves into the Watchtower’s false narrative of a mild version of the last days where as one brother in my congregation used to say, I will go to sleep one night and I'll wake up in the New system the following day. If you believe that or something similar, get ready for a rude awakening.

1

THE LAND OF DECORATION, REVISITED BY DAVID SCHAFER, WHY IT MATTERS

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/v6udaqnkvni?si=4_vowpqlhlwucmsf.

what is the land of decoration?

and why it matters when ot comes to the king of the north?

raymond frantz

https://youtu.be/V6udAQnkvNI?si=4_VoWPQlHlwUcmSf

What is the land of decoration? And why it matters when ot comes to the king of the North? The Watchtower revisits this term in the lastest morning worship talk from David Schafer...

The prophecy of the King of the North and the King of the South in Daniel 11 has long intrigued Bible scholars and Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) alike. Originating after Alexander the Great’s death, the prophecy describes the struggle between two factions of his fragmented empire: the Seleucids in the north and the Ptolemies in the south, with the land of Israel—referred to as the “Beautiful Land”—caught in the middle. This prophecy historically centers on the physical land of Israel, but JWs have reinterpreted it, replacing the literal meaning with their own spiritual symbolism.

The Watchtower rebrands the “Beautiful Land” as the “Land of Decoration,” which, in their interpretation, represents their global religious community rather than the physical land of Israel. For them, when Daniel 11:41 speaks of the King of the North entering the “Land of Decoration,” it’s not about Israel, but about Russia’s persecution of their worship worldwide. This perspective aligns with their replacement theology—the belief that their organization has supplanted Israel in God’s plan. Critics argue this interpretation strays from scripture, which consistently identifies Israel as a literal, geographical entity.

Key biblical texts like Zechariah 12:10, Ezekiel 38:16, and Matthew 24:15 emphasize the physical role of Israel in end-times prophecy. Zechariah describes a future moment of repentance for Israel when its people recognize the Messiah, while Ezekiel foretells an invasion of Israel in the last days. Matthew warns of a specific event in Judea, underscoring the geographical focus. These verses highlight the enduring significance of Israel in God’s plan, particularly after the Rapture, when the Church is taken up, and God’s attention shifts back to Israel.

JWs reinterpret these prophecies to fit their narrative, applying them symbolically to their organization and experiences of persecution. However, the Bible’s language remains firmly rooted in the physical reality of Israel’s land and people. Misplacing the “Land of Decoration” leads to a misidentification of the King of the North and distorts the broader framework of end-times events.

Understanding the literal significance of Israel in prophecy is crucial. The Watchtower’s spiritualized interpretations not only conflict with scripture but also obscure the unfolding of God’s plan, where the physical nation of Israel remains central during the Great Tribulation. Getting the “Land of Decoration” wrong means missing the bigger picture entirely.

31

PREPARE TO GET PELTED BY SYMBOLIC HAILSTONES

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/idhmflud3p4?si=9xc4svrhxslduwvz.

so david schafer a member of the teaching commitee and a helper to the governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the north, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a ww3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with russia so he is making quite a few end time arguments and i will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the end(video) so this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from article 20 of the watchtower 2020 study edition: "sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations.

(rev.

raymond frantz

@ finishedmystery

None of that makes sense until you realize The king of the North attacks the actual physical Israel and not Jehovah’s Witnesses

31

PREPARE TO GET PELTED BY SYMBOLIC HAILSTONES

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/idhmflud3p4?si=9xc4svrhxslduwvz.

so david schafer a member of the teaching commitee and a helper to the governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the north, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a ww3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with russia so he is making quite a few end time arguments and i will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the end(video) so this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from article 20 of the watchtower 2020 study edition: "sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations.

(rev.

raymond frantz

@A watcher

The hailstones of Revelation are a physical plague there is no such thing as hailstone message as I explain on this video

31

PREPARE TO GET PELTED BY SYMBOLIC HAILSTONES

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/idhmflud3p4?si=9xc4svrhxslduwvz.

so david schafer a member of the teaching commitee and a helper to the governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the north, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a ww3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with russia so he is making quite a few end time arguments and i will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the end(video) so this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from article 20 of the watchtower 2020 study edition: "sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations.

(rev.

raymond frantz

There's been 2 released videos yesterday one by Lett on war and one on end time prophetic events, me thinks that they see the clouds of WW3 gathering and try to get their theological ducks in a row, if that's even possible

31

PREPARE TO GET PELTED BY SYMBOLIC HAILSTONES

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/idhmflud3p4?si=9xc4svrhxslduwvz.

so david schafer a member of the teaching commitee and a helper to the governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the north, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a ww3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with russia so he is making quite a few end time arguments and i will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the end(video) so this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from article 20 of the watchtower 2020 study edition: "sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations.

(rev.

raymond frantz

@ StephaneLaliberte

Brilliant! Never thought of that, have to try that next time😄

31

PREPARE TO GET PELTED BY SYMBOLIC HAILSTONES

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/idhmflud3p4?si=9xc4svrhxslduwvz.

so david schafer a member of the teaching commitee and a helper to the governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the north, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a ww3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with russia so he is making quite a few end time arguments and i will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the end(video) so this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from article 20 of the watchtower 2020 study edition: "sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations.

(rev.

raymond frantz

https://youtu.be/Idhmflud3P4?si=9xc4svrHXslDUwvz

So David Schafer a member of the Teaching Commitee and a helper to the Governing body has come out yesterday with a new video that goes through the king of the North, the hailstones message and other things in the wake of the possibility of a WW3 and especially now that tensions are escalating with Russia so he is making quite a few End Time arguments and I will be expanding on those one by one but today let's see what he has about the hailstones message of the End(video)
So this is the paragraph in question, paragraph 14 from Article 20 of the Watchtower 2020 Study Edition:
"Sometime after the start of the great tribulation, “the kings of the entire inhabited earth” will form a coalition of nations. (Rev. 16:13, 14; 19:19) That coalition becomes what the Scriptures call “Gog of the land of Magog.” (Ezek. 38:2) That coalition of nations will make one final all-out assault on God’s people. What will provoke the attack? Speaking of this time, the apostle John saw a storm of unusually large hailstones raining down on God’s enemies. That symbolic hailstorm may take the form of a hard-hitting judgment message delivered by Jehovah’s people. It could be that this message provokes Gog of Magog into attacking God’s people with the intention of wiping them off the earth.—Rev. 16:21."
The vision of Revelation 16:21 is nothing short of apocalyptic: “And great hailstones, each about the weight of a talent, came down from heaven on the people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was unusually great.” While this vivid description clearly depicts a dramatic, literal event, some have insisted these hailstones are nothing more than a symbolic “hard-hitting judgment message” delivered by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Let’s pause here—are we really talking about the same Jehovah’s Witnesses who quietly stand next to literature carts while scrolling on their phones or sipping cappuccinos? Yes, apparently, these same individuals are destined to unleash a message so powerful it’ll provoke a coalition of nations into outright war. Forgive me if I remain skeptical.
First, let’s address the context of Revelation 16. This chapter is packed with literal, physical disasters. We read of painful sores, water turning to blood, and scorching heat from the sun. For example, Revelation 16:3 states: “The second one poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died.” Later, Revelation 16:8-9 describes: “The fourth one poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people with fire. And the people were scorched with great heat, but they blasphemed the name of God, who has authority over these plagues.” Clearly, these are not abstract metaphors but very real, terrifying phenomena. Why, then, would the seventh plague suddenly veer off into the realm of metaphorical messaging? Did John just decide, mid-vision, to switch to poetry?
And let’s not forget the detail about the weight of the hailstones. Revelation 16:21 specifies that each hailstone weighs “about a talent,” which is roughly 75 to 100 pounds. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of a metaphor that comes with a precise weight measurement. Are we supposed to believe these 100-pound “symbolic” hailstones represent a spiritual truth? If so, what exactly is the takeaway here? “Prepare for heavy judgment, spiritually speaking, of course”? No, the mention of their weight is deliberate, emphasizing the sheer physicality and devastating impact of this plague. These are literal hailstones, not some nebulous idea scribbled in a Watchtower article.
Biblical precedent only reinforces this point. God has used literal hailstones in the past to punish the wicked. In Exodus 9:22-25, during the seventh plague on Egypt, Jehovah tells Moses: “‘Stretch out your hand toward the heavens so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on people and animals and all the plants of the field in the land of Egypt.’ So Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire flared down to the earth, and Jehovah kept making it rain down hail on the land of Egypt. Thus there was hail, and fire flashing in among the hail. It was so severe that there had never been anything like it in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.” The devastation was real, not symbolic. Similarly, in Joshua 10:11, we read: “While they were fleeing from Israel and were on the descent of Beth-horon, Jehovah hurled great hailstones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah, and they perished. In fact, more died from the hailstones than from the sword of the Israelites.” If you’re keeping track, that’s yet another case of real hailstones, not symbolic fire-and-brimstone sermons.
But now we come to the real comedy: the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses will deliver this so-called “hard-hitting” message. While Christians around the world endure actual persecution for their preachingJehovah’s Witnesses. I'm from Britain and the past few years I've seen attacks from mobs on street preachers or Christians been arrested outside abortion clinics for praying for the victims by actual police force while the Witnesses appear to be doing just fine. Their ministry largely involves standing silently next to literature carts, often glued to their phones or enjoying their local café’s finest cappuccinos. This isn’t exactly the stuff of bold, prophetic confrontation. How this passive approach could ever escalate into a message capable of provoking the wrath of global governments is beyond comprehension. Are they planning to swap their cappuccinos for megaphones? The sheer leap from cart-standing to world-shaking judgment proclamation is nothing short of laughable.
And then there’s the historical context. This whole “symbolic hailstones” idea didn’t just pop out of nowhere; it has roots in the colorful imagination of Judge Rutherford, the second president of the Watch Tower Society. Rutherford had an uncanny ability to find himself in the Bible, no matter the passage. In his mind, every talk he gave was the fulfillment of some grand prophecy. Take the 1922 Cedar Point Convention, where Rutherford declared, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord.” He genuinely believed this event fulfilled Revelation 11:15. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Yet, that didn’t stop him from making increasingly outlandish claims about his role in biblical prophecy. It’s no surprise, then, that Rutherford and early Watchtower publications entertained the idea of symbolic hailstones, framing their publications and talks as divine judgment. The sheer audacity of it all is almost impressive.
In conclusion, the hailstones of Revelation 16:21 are literal, not symbolic. The context, the weight of the stones, and biblical precedent all point to a physical interpretation. Attempts to reimagine them as symbolic “messages” are not only unsupported by scripture but also comically inconsistent with the realities of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ ministry. Unless, of course, their cappuccino-fueled cart ministry undergoes a miraculous transformation. Until then, we’ll have to take Revelation at its word: the hailstones are 100 pounds of divine judgment, not a spiritual metaphor.

15

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ UN Prophecy Fails Again: Trump’s Win Proves Them Wrong

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/-kdbs3lcsx8?si=icfla8tzg0p_wdcz.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses (gb) has done it again—another bold prophecy, another epic fail.

during their 2024 annual meeting, they confidently announced that the nations of the world would soon hand over their power to the united nations.

raymond frantz

@nowwhat?

I know you did about this a month ago, I find your posts thought provoking and helped me write the article adding my take, I hope you don't mind