"What we have is a contradictory and confusing patchwork of prophecy..." Those are the words about the WTS from a man who considers himself a prophetic watchman of God. He presents what he and his supporters consider to be a clear and undeniable interpretation of prophecy. But a closer examination of his interpretation of scriptures will reveal that his words above fit better in describing his own patchwork of prophecy.
The Holy Place
In the essay, Let the Reader Use Discernment, E-Watchman states: "More reasonably, if Jehovah's Witnesses are really God's people, as we believe, then, the holy place that is due to become desolate must represent the spiritual temple of Jehovah as represented by the holy ones and the organization associated with it. In other words, what is commonly called: Jehovah's visible organization.
Apparently, then, the disgusting thing standing in a holy place will serve as a signal for Jehovah's people to abandon the Watchtower Society;"
There are many problems with this interpretation. For example, if the holy place, Jerusalem, that was desolated in 70 CE pictures what is known as Jehovah's visible organization then who is represented by the true Christians that preached the good news from 33CE until that destruction in 70CE? Is there another group currently preaching this good news that we are unaware of that are pictured by the true Christians of the first century? When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE there was no other organization of God that came forth to represent him. His organization had been established in 33CE and obediently left Jerusalem before its destruction. They existed at the same time as apostate Jerusalem and continued to exist afterward. No new organization of God was born from an apostate organization at that time in 70CE.
E-Watchman also contends that the man of lawlessness actually will rise up from among the WT organization today. In his essay, Mystery of the Anti-Christ he reasons, "Reasoning on the matter, it is evident that the man of lawlessness is to emerge from among Jehovah's anointed ones in the future; that being the case, then, he must come from within the highest levels of the Watchtower Society."
But the problem with his reasoning here is that the man of lawlessness did not rise up from apostate Jerusalem in the first century did he? He came forth from the first century Christian organization. Therefore the question begs to be asked, how is it that the WTS is pictured by apostate unfaithful Jerusalem from which no man of lawlessness originates and at the same time is plagued by the man of lawlessness?
Finally another question comes to mind when considering his interpretation: Since unfaithful Judaism pictures JWs then who is Christendom pictured by in all of this? The pagan religions of the first century? If that is the case then are we to believe that Judaism came out of those pagan religions as JWs came out of Christendom in modern times?
E-Watchman's interpretation: Apostate Jerusalem = Jehovah's visible organization currently housing the man of lawlessness.
Problems:
1. True Christians from 33CE to 70CE = ?????
2. Who in the first century = Christendom?
3. Man of lawlessness did not originate from apostate Jerusalem.
Let the Patchwork Begin
Any thinking person can clearly see the problem that E-Watchman has encountered in his interpretations. So in his latest mailbag he attempts to stitch the new patches to the old interpretation. He spins:
"Nevertheless, in spite of the apostles' ignorance, Jesus told them that they would not complete the circuit of Israel until the son of man arrived. So, in that respect they fully accomplished their ministry and then the resurrected son of man arrived. But before that, when Jesus was arrested and executed, all of the apostles and disciples were stumbled. But when Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection, he first rebuked them for being slow of heart to believe, but then he fully opened up their minds to understand the prophecies as they related to Christ. The transformation of the apostles was astounding.
Jesus’ numerous supernatural appearances before his disciples immediately following his resurrection, including his last manifestation before Paul as the glorified king of God’s kingdom, establishes a pattern to be fulfilled during Christ’s parousia. Just as those apostles were originally entrusted with a preaching work, even though they were in a state of ignorance that was not remedied until after Jesus appeared to them from the spirit realm, so too, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been preaching about God’s kingdom in a similar state of ignorance and disbelief that will not be dispelled until the actual revelation of Christ.
But just as the resurrected Jesus only appeared to those within the Jewish system who had already proven themselves to be his disciples, in the same way the presence of Christ will only become manifest to his approved chosen ones within the Watchtower Society. At that point the Watchtower Society will have served its purpose, just as Jerusalem and the Jewish system had in the first century."
What does E-Watchman here establish as his patchwork interpretation?
1. The disciples preaching before Jesus' resurrection = JWs and their preaching work now before Jesus' presence.
2. The arrival of the son of man in Matthew 10:23 = Jesus arrival and appearing to his disciples after his resurrection.
3. The disciples after Jesus' resurrection and the pouring out of holy spirit = the future new organization of God's people (no doubt made up of E-watchman and his followers) after Christ's future presence.
4. Rejecting of Jewish people in 33CE = rejection of the WTS at Christ's future presence.
Now do you see any problems with this? First of all notice all the contradictions. First he says Judaism up until its destruction pictures JWs. Now he says that the disciples still in Judaism before Jesus resurrection pictures JWs. First he says the rejection takes place when the disgusting thing stands in the holy place paralleling 66CE, followed by the destruction of the WTS which is paralleled by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE. Now he says that rejection is symbolized by the scattering and the rebuking of the disciples followed by the rejecting of Judaism in 33CE. Is the rejection of the organization of JWs paralleled by 33CE or 70CE? Are JWs rejected twice? Are we to flee the WTS twice?
How Many Times Does the Son of Man Arrive?
At Matthew 10:23 Jesus states to his disciples, "When they persecute YOU in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to YOU, YOU will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel until the Son of man arrives." When did this arrival of the son of man take place? Is it at the same time as Matthew 25:31 when he arrives to separate the sheep and the goats? Is it when he arrives to bring destruction upon the wicked as recorded at Luke 21:27? Is it when the bridegroom arrived and brings the discreet virgins into the wedding feast as recorded at Matthew 25:10? No says E-Watchman in his latest mailbag. The son of man arrived in this case in 33CE at the time of his appearing to the apostles after his resurrection. Although all these other scriptures concerning the son of man's arrival apply to the time of the Great Tribulation, not so this scripture about his arrival according to the prophet/watchman.
And this despite the fact that just one verse earlier Jesus said, "22 And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." Apparently according to E-Watchman that end came when Jesus was resurrected. That is when the son of man arrived. They merely had to endure until his resurrection, until the rejection of Judaism, and then they would be saved.
Not only that but in verses 10-22 Jesus gives the exact same prophecy in almost the exact same words that he used when answering the question about the sign of his presence. And yet verse 23 does not apply to the last days when the son of man arrives but rather to his arrival and appearances before his followers immediately after his resurrection. The prophecy in fact does not even apply to the last days of the Jewish system of things since the son of man arrived at his resurrection in 33CE when he appeared to his disciples. Or does it perhaps mean that the son of man arrived in 33CE at his resurrection before the initial preaching work was completed. Again he arrived at the end of the Jewish system in 70CE so that the disciples were once again unable to complete the circuit of cities with the real preaching work before the destruction of Jerusalem. And finally he will arrive just before he appoints E-Watchman and his clan as his new refined organization and they commence to preach the real true good news of the kingdom. And of course we left out the arrival that didn't happen in 1914 when he organized his people to preach the untrue good news of the kingdom which we will discuss next. We have to ask: Just how many times does the son of man arrive?
Modern Day Preaching Work and the Man of Lawlessness
Since Jesus came in 29CE and organized the disciples to do their preaching work we must ask: When did Jesus arrive in modern times to organize the preaching work of JWs today. Certainly it could not have been 1914 for according to E-Watchman that is an artfully contrived story. So what is the parallel to his arrival in 29CE? Is the preaching work of JWs unauthorized by Jesus? That is not E-Watchman's contention. If Jesus' presence is yet future then how has he organized his people today so that they can engage in this preaching work that parallels what the disciples did up until 33CE? I guess he will need another patch to fix that problem in his interpretation.
And what of the man of lawlessness and the operation of error? Paul prophesied about the man of lawlessness and the operation of error long after 33CE? It was long after Jesus resurrection and after holy spirit was poured out on the disciples at Pentecost. It was long after the true preaching work had begun in 33CE that parallels the preaching work by God's new and refined organization after the destruction of the WTS according to E-watchman. So are we to expect the man of lawlessness to rise up again after the destruction of the WTS among the newly organized people of God who are in a 'real' spiritual paradise at this future time? According to Paul that would have to be the case if we are to logically follow the flow of E-Watchman's interpretation. We have to ask: Just how many men of lawlessness are there anyway? Just how many operations of errors are there? We have to wonder will the men of lawlessness ever cease? Is the operation of error the constant feature?
The only thing that becomes clear in the interpretations of E-Watchman is just how confusing they are. His prophetic interpretations are in the words of E-Watchman "saddled with numerous contradictions and absurdities, such as discussed here... What we have is a contradictory and confusing patchwork of prophecy..." But how simple the truth is.
The Simple True Parallel
Jesus arrived in 29CE and established his Christian organization of kingdom preachers in the first century. They came forth from God's former people who had apostatized and left Jehovah. They preached the good news right up until the destruction of the apostate Jerusalem and that Jewish system of things. They survived that destruction because of their obedience to Christ. It is the same today.
Jesus arrived in 1914CE and established his Christian organization of kingdom preachers in modern times. They came forth from God's former people who had apostasized and left Jehovah. They will preach the good news right up until the destruction of the apostate Christendom and this system of things. They will survive that destruction because of their obedience to Christ. No patchwork needed at all.
See following chart courtesy of Al:
http://jehovahsjudgment.co.uk/research/media/basis.png
posted by thirdwitness at 4:14 PM
