part one
How could this happen, isn’t this Jehovah’s Organization?
Didn’t we make Jehovah’s name known and Preach the Good News of The Kingdom worldwide?
Are we not a united brotherhood everywhere in the world?
We remain neutral in the world’s governments, and do not go to war!
Jehovah’s Witnesses have the Truth…. Right ?
These thoughts were likely your first reaction when you discovered the shocking things going on behind the Watchtower curtain.
While in shock we asked ourselves, where was Jehovah while all of this was going on? Why was he allowing this to take place with his named people? Most of the God dishonoring conduct that has become public and, in many cases, seems counterproductive to accomplishing his will by fulfilling the command from Jesus to preach the Good News of the Kingdom before the end of the system!
If you, as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, believed or possibly still believe that the WTBS was utilized in some way by Jehovah in the outworking of his grand purpose for mankind early on starting with CT Russel, and that Jesus the head of the Christian Congregation directed the worldwide preaching work down to today you are not alone as many within and who have exited (or removed) continue to hold that belief.
Be that as it may, scripturally awake Jehovah’s Witnesses should not be surprised at how the Watchtower became apostate as the apostle Paul gave us the warning at 2 Thess:2 which the WT applies only to Christendom. But is that a true interpretation, or could it really apply to the Governing Body the self-appointed fa1thfull and discreet slave?
The following series of articles should answer all the questions above and more. I am looking forward to your opinions and comments on this series, and be prepared to open your mind to the possibilities of the application on who, when, and where the revealing of the MOL will be. By considering this series of articles from perimeno certainly gives a solid explanation of who is behind the apostacy found in God’s House from the very beginning starting with CT Russel.
Man of Lawlessness, Within God’s Temple
Understanding that God has a holy temple arrangement for his worship, and being able to identify it, enables his people to realize another important fact, namely, there is no such thing as “antitypical Jerusalem.” (types & anti-types no longer taught by the organization) Knowing this has far reaching implications for those within God’s household who have been led to believe that God’s condemnatory pronouncements and judgment, which are addressed to “my people,” do not actually apply to his people, but rather to the churches of Christendom, so-called antitypical Jerusalem. (that was dropped in the “Pure Worship”…book ) This term, of course, does not appear anywhere in the Scriptures. In an effort to deflect Jehovah’s criticism away from themselves this label was invented by the very ones Jehovah levels his scathing denunciations against, his own wicked people and leaders within his temple.
Jehovah’s temple came into existence on the day of Pentecost and has survived throughout the centuries right into our day. Although it seemed that shortly after the last of the apostles had died it had been over sown and eclipsed by weeds, sown by the Devil, yet over the many years there have always been individuals that God has acknowledged as members of his temple. He is the one that has kept its foundation solidly in place, adding more living stones to it as he continued to build on it. The temple itself is not completed until his day of judgment arrives. By then the last foundation stone will have been put in place. (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-42; 28:20) As we can see, there has been no need to lay another, a second foundation.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him about “the conclusion of the system of things” (NWT), or “the end of the world” (CEV), Jesus mentioned, as part of the sign, that the “good news of the kingdom would be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end would come.” (Matt. 24:14) This time period immediately before the end would be a time of busy activity for his disciples, as many people would respond to the preaching work and be directed to God’s temple arrangement, just as it took place in the first century. In fact, the Bible reveals that a “great crowd” of worshipers would survive the “great tribulation,” as Jesus described the end of the world. Therefore, we could expect Jehovah to add the final foundation stones of his temple at that time. It is clear from the scriptures that he would have his holy ones on earth then. (Dan. 7:27; Matt. 24:21,22; Rev. 7:3,9,14) But the scriptures also reveal that then there would be a wicked element prominently present within his temple. The apostle Paul calls this “the man of lawlessness,” “the son of destruction.” Everyone of God’s servants would be impacted by his presence, which is “according to the operation of Satan.”
Almost from the very beginning wicked persons made their appearance within God’s temple. The couple Ananias and Sapphira played false to the holy spirit and were put to death by Jehovah, as an example to others. The apostle Paul mentions finding himself in danger among “false brothers,” fellow believers who became enemies of the faith. And certain “superfine apostles,” who also opposed him, had become “arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing” (Amplified Bible), coveting authority and rulership over the congregations. Yes, even the apostle Peter on one occasion “stood condemned” for “not walking straight according to the truth of the good news,” having become a dangerous influence to other disciples so that even Barnabas, Paul’s companion, “was carried away by their hypocrisy.” To Peter’s credit, he humbly allowed himself to be corrected. Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 4:8; 2 Cor. 11:5, 12,13, 26; Gal. 2:4, 11-14; Phil. 3:18; 1 Peter 5:2-4.
By the end of the first century Jesus, as head of the congregations, wrote letters to seven of them in Asia Minor, detailing some of the problems that had developed. (Revelation, chapters 2 & 3) Only two were commended for their faithful endurance (Smyrna and Philadelphia). Although Jesus took note of “a few names in Sardis that did not defile their outer garments,” as a whole, members of the congregation in that city, along with the four other congregations (Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Laodicea) were reprimanded and given time to repent and make necessary changes. (Rev. 3:4) Failing to do so would mean rejection and losing out on their reward. What is of interest to us, though, is what the Scriptures reveal about developments within God’s household, his temple, for our own time, the “last days.”
The apostle John states: “We are certain that we come from God and that the rest of the world is under the power of the devil.” (1 John 5:19; CEV) That being the case, we realize that the world around us has always reflected the influence of the devil in its selfishness, greed, immorality, hatred and violence. That has been true from the very beginning and comes as no surprise to God’s people. But what does come as a shock is that this influence of Satan the Devil would also penetrate God’s holy temple. In the last days worldly conditions would not be uncommon also inside the congregations.
Paul describes the situation we could expect among God’s own people during the time of the end in these words: “Remember this! In the last days there will be many troubles, because people will love themselves, love money, brag, and be proud. They will say evil things against others and will not obey their parents or be thankful or be the kind of people God wants. They will not love others, will refuse to forgive, will gossip, and will not control themselves. They will be cruel, will hate what is good, will turn against their friends, and will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, and will act as if they serve God but will not have his power. (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NCV) The prevalence of such individuals within God’s household would cause God’s faithful servants much suffering, but for our encouragement Jesus made this promise: “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.” (Matt. 24:10-13) Do you experience such things in your own family or congregation?
How could it be possible, though, for Satan to have such great power over God’s people? Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day as being “from your father the Devil,” because it was really the Devil who exercised the greater influence over them. (John 8:44) Their dominance over the people prevented these from believing in Jesus. Because of submitting to their leaders instead of Jehovah they had become followers of men, and no miracle on Jesus’ part could convince them otherwise. That is why Jesus told them: “You do not believe, because you are none of my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them everlasting life.” (John 10:26,27) Contrary to what we have been taught by our leaders, the Bible foretold a similar situation for our time.
Paul explains that there would be a wicked element right inside God’s temple. A “man of lawlessness” would seat himself within this temple, elevating himself above everyone, yes, even to the point of making himself a god. Paul calls it “the mystery of this lawlessness” that is “according to the operation of Satan.” But before the great day of Jehovah, and Christ’s return, the presence and identity of this man of lawlessness would be revealed, “whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.” Surprisingly, many of God’s people would accept and willingly submit to this “son of destruction,” even to the point of loving it that way. (compare Jer. 5:30,31) For that reason Jehovah allows “an operation of error” to go to them for embracing this “unrighteous deception,” because “they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.”
Here is what Paul makes known about this man of lawlessness:
“However, brothers, respecting the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of YOU to not to be quickly shaken from YOUR reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here.
3 “Let no one seduce YOU in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 5 Do you not remember that, while I was yet with you, I used to tell you these things?
6 “And so now YOU know the thing that acts as a restraint, with a view to his being revealed in his own due time. 7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work; but only till he who is right now acting as a restraint gets to be out of the way. 8 Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. 9 But the lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents 10 and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved. 11 So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness. —2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; NWT.
Let us now take a closer look at what the apostle Paul is telling us would need to transpire before the coming of Jehovah’s day, in connection with developments within God’s temple and the revealing of the man of lawlessness. How would God’s people be affected by this presence?