http://e-watchman.com/will-watchtower-become-false-christ/#comment-156105 Question: Is the Watchtower Organization setting itself up to be a “false Messiah†or “false Christ†at the true parousia? __________ Answer: In a word, Yes. However, we should not suppose it is by human design. Look at the role Israel played in accomplishing God’s purpose. Paul explained to the Hebrew Christians that the Jewish law had served as a tutor leading them to Christ. But how many of the Jewish leaders accepted Christ? Only a handful. The Jewish establishment became the hardened enemy of the Son of God and ultimately condemned him to a horrible death. They were opposed to Christ. Therefore it could be said of them that they were antichrists. We may expect the same pattern to play out at the second coming of the Son of man. How so? Up until now God has used the Watchtower Society as a tutor, teaching meek persons the essential truth necessary to know God’s will and purpose. It has produced the two groups foretold in scripture; namely, the little flock and the other sheep. But these must pass a final test before being granted entry into either the new heavens or the new earth. The final test will involve abandoning the tutor when it becomes apparent that God is finished with it. From its inception the Watchtower has promoted a faux parousia. This is the “deluding influence†Paul warned would emanate from a man of lawlessness with the backing of Satan using every powerful deception and lying sign. For example, pyramidology, coupled with pseudo-Bible chronology, convinced the the Bible Students that a great upheaval would occur in 1914; and Lo and Behold! The Great War erupted right on cue. But the point is, the parousia delusion occurs as a prelude to the actual parousia. Given the great lengths to which the Society has been driven to prop up the 1914 delusion over the past century, how will the leadership respond when the actual parousia begins? It is hard to imagine that they would humbly apologize for having deceived Jehovah’s Witnesses for so long. On the contrary, just as the Jewish hierarchy refused to accept Jesus, so will the leadership of the Watchtower Society. If any individuals do accept the new reality that will present itself then they will be persecuted – thrown out of the synagogue, as Jesus forewarned. Keep in mind that the man of lawlessness is also called the son of destruction, which is also applied to Judas. Judas likely did not intend to betray Jesus from the beginning. But during the Lord’s evening meal when Satan entered into him he had no choice at that point. Likewise, at the coming of Christ Satan will be allowed to again perform all manner of deceptive wonders for the purpose of deceiving, if possible, even the chosen ones – using his modern son of destruction, the man of lawlessness. Those who are rejected by Christ will become the hardened enemies of the true sons of the Kingdom. Think about it, the Devil has already misled the whole world. His work is done, for the most part. His intent now is to mislead those who have been called into Christ’s kingdom. But it is not possible for the demons to deceive the chosen ones except through the agency that they trust and view as Jehovah’s organization.
Its really heart breaking. Who would've ever thought the very organization you learned the truth from will become Anti-Christ. So many brothers and sisters will be lost and many more will become bitter. I cant imagine the what that time will be like. It will be nothing short of Heartbreaking and traumatizing for many
I think e-watchman is mistaken about the identity of the man of lawlessness. I understand it to be a single future person. The Antichrist many in Christendom are talking about. Infact apostle John told that the antichrist is coming. Pointing to a sigle specific future person. But John also told that many other antichrists had appeared, who denied Jesus and the truth about him. Let's suppose WT org will be shutdown during the time the man of lawlessness acts. To whom can then people look too? Well in that time many Christs will appear and say, now is the time, surely they will have amazing things to tell, and some anointed could be mislead to believe thier teachings and filosophy. Just as some anointed are traped in some erroneous teachings of the WT. I think the arch Antichrist could well be Raj Patel, the Matreya. He is promoted to be the new great teacher of the new age, and he has got much attention around the world. You can google on him and verify this.
E-watchman believes the Man of lawlessness is a single individual person. Where do you get the Antichrist is the MOL? Where is that scriptural connection?
Joshua, I think it's the same, because MOL will of course be in opposition to Jesus. In Thessalonians it is said MOL will say he is God. And he will perform miracles. Many "christians" regard Jesus to be God. So a future MOL could well claim to be God and the real Christ, thus making himself Anti Christ. Which means against Christ and instead of Christ.
There are many Antichrists, they are those who profess Jesus had not come in the flesh. It really depends on what scriptures you are trying to connect. Number one, in 2Th the MOL is said to sit in the temple of "The God", and sets himself up as a god. This MOL is never spoken of as an Antichrist because in affect even Judas knew Jesus had come in the flesh and Judas was a type or first fulfillment of the MOL. 2Th 2:4 "He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god." The false prophet is the second beast in Rev 13 which denotes a kingdom/government, and has nothing to do with an Antichrist individual. Rev 19:20 "And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who worship its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulfur." Now trying to say there will be a human in the time of the end that has some kind of global role requires exact scriptural identification. Perhaps you can clarify scriptures you use to identify such an individual.
I think the false prophet of Revelation can in the future well be the MOL of Thessalonians and the Antichrist mentioned by John. So that's what I expect to see in the future.
Good Morning, Joshuastone7 May I ask in what way do the MOL sits down in the temple of God...publicly showing himself to be a god?
It's my belief (as well Robert) that the MOL is just a second fulfillment of Judas, that in fact the MOL is a GB member. You can find my commentary on the MOL HERE.
I read your previous writing on the subject, Josh. thank you for sharing. But in your answer above...are saying that the MOL is one single GB member? Looks like to me the entire crop is rotten.
Yes, it appears that just like Judas this is an individual. That is how the original Greek reads, however with the first trumpet there appears to be others that have the mark of the beast in the time of the end besides the MOL, so there could be others collaborating with him.
These prophecies are like the prophecies about Christ in the 0T. Those where not connected scripturally. But were just scattered in different places without connection. But when Jesus was on earth they got their fulfillment. So Jesus himself connected them. That's the way I expect MOL will connect the prophecies about him. In the Scriptures we find a rule, to establish a matter we need at least 2 or 3 withesses. So the prophecy about MOL should have 2 er 3 paralell prophecies. Almost everything in the Bible is repeated at least twice for conformation, according to the 2 or 3 witness rule. For example Books of Samuel and Kings and then Chronicles as a second witness.
Beasts in prophecy are governments. "Beasts as Symbols of Governments. Certain major world powers of history appear directly in the Biblical record, and all of these, as well as other nations, have used animals as symbols of their governments. In Egypt, the serpent figured prominently, the uraeus, the sacred asp, appearing on the headdress of the Pharaohs. However, Egypt was also represented by the bull, as was Assyria. Medo-Persia used the eagle (the shields of the Medes bore the golden eagle; the Persians bore an eagle fixed to the end of a lance). Athens was designated by the owl; Rome, the eagle; Great Britain is designated by the lion; the United States, the eagle. From the most remote times China has been symbolized by the dragon. Well known is the German “two-headed eagle.â€" An antichrist is an idea according to these scriptures below, "those" that say "he did not come in the flesh", are "many". What you see is an idea that had begun to permeate the early church and still exists today. To separate this idea out into a prophecy of a single individual just doesn't exist in scripture. 1John 2:18 "Young children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, from which fact we know that it is the last hour." 2John 1:7 "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those not acknowledging Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." The MOL is spoken of as an individual; 2Th 2:3,4 "Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god." Even if 1Joh 2:18 and the "antichrist coming" turns out to be the MOL in 2Th that's fine and well, he would end up just being one of many, but I don't see any other scriptural connections to this individual having anything to do with the world stage and would simply be another Judas. The false prophet in no way has anything to do with either. I disagree that the Jews could not have connected the prophecies of Christ in the old testament. They knew from what family to look, from what regional location to look, and even when to look. They even knew what prophecies were to be fulfilled in the Messiah, just as well as they knew that other characters were not connected to the Messiah. The prophecies of the MOL and the false prophet can no more be connected then the first two individuals prophesied in the Bible itself. Gen 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head, and you will strike him in the heel.â€"
Joshua, I did not say that every prophecy in OT was impossible in advance to apply to the coming Christ. A few were very clear that they spoke about the Christ. But most of those prophecies were impossible to apply to Christ in advance. The apostles did not understand them in advance. Only after those Scriptures were fulfilled they understood that they applied to Jesus. I don't understand why you exclude the possibility of MOL being the false prophet ? MOL will perform signs and wonders, so is not he then a false prophet? The only problem is that in this case MOL can not be one of the GB. But that's not a problem for me, because that's not what I believe.
It seems quite clear that the beasts in Dan 7, 8 and as well Rev 13, 17 are governments. At least that's what Daniel said; Dan 8:20 “The two-horned ram that you saw stands for the kings of Me′di·a and Persia." The immense image in Dan 2 coincides with the four beasts of Dan 7, which means the Lion=Babylon, bear=Medo-Persia, Leopard=Greece, Fierce Beast=Rome. So with that in mind that means the first beast of Rev 13 making up those beasts is a government combining them all. Therefore the next logical step is to say that the second beast with two horns in Rev 13 is a government. The false prophet is a government, just like every other beast described. It is as well the same for the beast that Babylon rides in in Rev 17, she rides a government. I see no similarity between these two scriptures, I can just about count on two hands the number of times someone called fire down from heaven, and I don't see that in the MOL, I just see lying signs. You could no more connect these two then to say Elijah is the false prophet because he called down fire from heaven. These two are not the same entity at all... 2Th 2:9 "But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders" Rev 13:13 "And it performs great signs, even making fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the sight of mankind."
0k, you don't see similarities. But I see in general terms, but not in all details. But I cannot for sure say how these scriptures will be fulfilled. But I think it is good to stay with an open mind, and when there scriptures really come to their fulfillment we will be able to clearly understand their fulfillment. Suppose if Jehovah lets "Elijah" take the place of the GB among Jehovah's witnesses. And he will set things strait. Would he be mistaken of being the man of lawlessness?
I know a lot of questionable things happen in the higher ups that individual members of Jehovah's witnesses have no control of... but I don't buy into the story of the organization falling! its my belief that Jehovah is using the natural tendency of greed and power to lay up a vast supply of assets for Jehovah's witnesses.. granted I don't think that the organization is so interested about individuals and currently are in it for themselves but... I find it difficult if not impossible to believe that Jehovah god would allow the organization that we all trusted to bring us at least some degree of truth.. to turn into our Judas goat to lead us into Satan's slaughter house!! that would mean #1 that the worlds accusations against us was right all along!! that we were a cult leading our members and others to their death!!! I don't buy that!!! I believe Jehovah is going to kick butt and clean up his house! and when that happens . the faithful people who love god will stream to Jehovah like never before and Jehovah's witnesses will stand out in righteous works so plainly that the world will see it grow jealous of it and attack!! I don't buy the idea that Jehovah's going to lead us from the world just to let the w.b.t.s. ruin us!!! seasons of refreshing by Jehovah's own hand are coming and the kingdom halls will receive healing! at least that's my hope and prayer.
Ari, l am with you. I don't think it is right to blackmail the WT org to the extent some does. To the point as some does saying the GB is the man of lawlessness or that one of them will become him. That is beyond reason, because the MOL is said to proclaim it self God. The GB does not that and I have very difficult to believe anyone within Jehovah's witnesses would ever dare to proclaim himself God. Some one in the world could go so far, but not within jws. And those who apply MOL to GB, I wonder how nice leaders they would be instead of GB? Would it really be better???