www.perimeno.ca/Index_A.htm
Q:
I came across your website some time ago.
You write a lot about the Watchtower Society, the international brotherhood
and our Governing Body. . .
I read some of your essays and noted that you have similar views with
e-watchman in interpreting prophecy. Both of you seem to interpret the fall
of BTG as taking place in the future. If that is correct, I would like to
know what your understanding is of the activity of God's people AFTER the
fall of BTG in light of BIBLE PROPHECY. I am asking this because you fail to
give any details concerning this aspect in your essay "The fall of Babylon
the Great" or, if you do, I failed to see where. Or perhaps you could
provide me with your schedule of events after the Babylon falls.
What explanation do
you have?
_________________________
A:
The
intent of my website is simply to explain from the Scriptures what is happening
within God's household at this time, especially since 1975; the reasons for it,
and how we are all involved, as foretold in the Scriptures, for otherwise "how
would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must take place this way?" (Matt.
26:54) By teaching "commands of men as doctrines" we "have made the word of God
invalid." (Matt. 15:6-9) Sadly, due to this and the resulting present troubling developments within the organization, many
of our former zealous brothers and sisters have stumbled to the point where they
no longer accept that God has a household; some now arguing over the proper
pronunciation of God’s name and whether we should use it; while others have even
come to doubt the very existence of God.
—Dan. 11:35,
Amplified Bible;
Mal. 3:14-18; Matt. 24:10; Phil. 3:18-20; 2 Peter 2:20-22.
Jesus said that "persons in health do not need a physician, but the ailing do."
(Matt. 9:12) The ones who are finding encouragement from my site are the ones
who love Jehovah, are loyal to him but at the same time are "sighing and
groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of
[us]," as is evident from the many comments I have received over the past
years since I first posted my site (see "Comments from Visitors" box). —Ezek. 9:4.
I do not pretend to understand most prophecies that were written in symbolism
and "made secret" and "sealed
up" until the time of their fulfillment, as some claim they are able to do.
That is not the intent of my site and therefore you will not find any personal speculations, nor any in-depth
discussions on the books of Revelation or Daniel, or any detailed schedule of events after
Babylon the Great is destroyed, beyond what the scriptures clearly tell us. But to be sure, we will definitely know and
understand when it happens and after the event. (Dan. 12:4, 9,10) It is very easy
to fall prey to false prophets if we allow ourselves to follow their speculations. (Matt. 24:23-25;
2 Peter 2:1-3) As I explain in my article "Prophecies
That We Need to Understand. . . and those we don't," the prophecies that we need to understand are the ones
we need to act upon and obey right now, for our very lives are involved. For that
reason they are simply written and we can all understand them without the need
for anyone to interpret them for us.
For example, such a prophecy has to do with identifying “Babylon the Great,” for
otherwise how could we obey the call to “get out of her”? (Rev. 17:1-6) Some who
have stumbled over recent developments among God’s people are now identifying
Babylon the Great with God’s own household, for they make no distinction between
the secular Watchtower Society (chartered in 1884) and that which God has put in
place and has been in existence since Pentecost. (Eph. 2:19-22) They cannot see
the necessity to apply to themselves Jesus’ words that “he that has endured to
the end is the one that will be saved.” And so they tell those who are still
members of God’s household to “get out of her,” as if God is going to destroy
his own temple, his household of worshipers.
—Matt.
10:22; 24:13; 1 Tim. 3:15.
Although the Scriptures do not reveal all the details on how matters will take
place in the not-so-distant future, we can be certain of certain sequential
developments as presented in the Bible:
1. The judgment starts with the house of God! "Now if it starts first
with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of
God? 'And if the righteous [man] is being saved with difficulty, where will the
ungodly [man] and the sinner make a showing?' So, then, also let those who are
suffering in harmony with the will of God keep on commending their souls to a
faithful Creator while they are doing good." The foretold judgment of God's
house is obviously still future and did not happen back in 1918/19. That is why
we need to continue to do good while undergoing suffering.
—1
Peter 4:17,18; Matt. 25:13-46.
2. In connection with God’s coming judgment upon his people and Christ’s
return, the existence and identity of the “man of lawlessness” within God’s
temple has to be revealed, whom Jesus “will do away with by the spirit of his
mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.” This
revealing is now clearly in progress. From all the evidence (including the
Society’s own publications) this man of lawlessness is revealed as the Governing
Body of the secular Watchtower Society, sitting within God’s temple, which body
of men has elevated itself over everyone else within God’s temple, even taken
upon itself the authority and power that belongs only to Jehovah and Christ
Jesus. —2 Thess. 2:3-12; Matt. 28:18; Heb. 5:5. (I explain this
extensively on
my
site. There is no speculation involved in this.)
3. Many of God’s sheep have been scattered and have suffered greatly at
the hands of wicked shepherds who have received their authority over the flock
from the man of lawlessness, to whom they are submissive and loyal. (Ezek.
13:22; 34:2-6) After the removal and judgment of the man of lawlessness
and his oppressive shepherds, which will take place immediately upon Christ’s
return (clearly indicating his arrival and presence), Jehovah will then invite
and bring back his lost and scattered sheep.
He is already preparing for their
care upon their return. —Read
the entire 34th chapter of Ezekiel; Luke 12:45-48; 2 Thess. 2:9-12;
Ezek. 14:22,23.
4. It is after Jehovah has cleansed his own household, having removed all
wicked persons from his kingdom, that he will then turn his attention on Babylon
the Great and utterly destroy her, suddenly, as if in one hour. The term “Babylon the Great” applies to all
the many organized religions of this world who have in their own way worshipped
Satan, either intentionally or unknowingly; for according to Jehovah there are
only two forms of worship—two
distinct sides—as he pronounced after Adam’s rebellion.
We either worship and obey Jehovah as the Almighty, or our worship and obedience
is directed to Satan. There is no in-between, no sitting on any fence.
—Gen.
3:15; Matt. 13:39-43, 49,50; 1 Cor. 10:20,21; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Rev. 17:15-17.
5. With the disappearance of Babylon the Great there will be no void in
the lives of people who still have a need to worship, for Satan will provide all
mankind with something they can accept and worship together, unitedly; something
they can all look to for salvation and as the only hope out of the terrible mess
the world has come to find itself in; whether it is political, financial,
environmental, or anything else causing anxiety. There will already have been
put in place what is now commonly referred to as the New World Order—the authority of One World Government—the
power of which of course comes from Satan. John’s revelation regarding this says
that “all those who dwell on the earth will worship it; the name of not one of
them stands written in the scroll of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered, from
the founding of the world.”
—Rev.
13:8.
This political/religious setup will be in opposition to God’s kingdom, the only
true hope for mankind. (Dan. 2:44; Matt. 24:14) Every person on earth will be
put under compulsion to submit to this, and all who accept and worship that
which is from Satan will be clearly identified in God’s eyes as being opposed to
him, because they will receive “a mark in their right hand or upon their
forehead.” (This is not to be considered a literal mark, as is the case in
Ezekiel 9:4, 6) Regarding those who are thus marked Revelation says: “If anyone
worships the wild beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or
upon his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God. . . Here is
where it means endurance for the holy ones, those who observe the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus.”
—Revelation
13:3-18; 14:9-12.
6. At God’s war of Armageddon all mankind that did not accept and submit
to God’s kingdom will perish, everyone who did not “observe the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus”; yes, “all persons, the small and the great, and the
rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves.” The prophet Zephaniah foretold
that Jehovah will at that time “cause distress to mankind, and they will
certainly walk like blind men; because it is against Jehovah that they have
sinned. And their blood will actually be poured out like dust, and their bowels
like the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them
in the day of Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will
be devoured, because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of
all the inhabitants of the earth.”
—Zeph. 1:17,18; Rev.
13:16; 16:13,14, 16.
The Revelation that the apostle John received was presented to him “in signs.”
(Rev. 1:1) If we “observe the commandments of God” (which are not ambiguous) and
have “the faith of Jesus” (our total dependence on Jehovah, even unto death),
then we will know at all times what our course of action should be, now and in
the future, without having to know all the details of events still to come.
(Rev. 2:10) Jehovah has also provided for our benefit the written record of his
people in the past. Their examples should teach us! That is why Paul wrote:
“Now these things became our
examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they
desired them. Neither become idolaters, as some of them did; just as it is
written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to have a good
time.’ Neither let us practice fornication, as some of them committed
fornication, only to fall, twenty-three thousand [of them] in one day. Neither
let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put [him] to the test, only to
perish by the serpents. Neither be murmurers, just as some of them murmured,
only to perish by the destroyer. Now these things went on befalling them as
examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the
systems of things have arrived.”
—1 Corinthians 10:6-11.
If we pay attention and learn
from the examples of God's people in times past, then we will know how we must
act under all circumstances in order to have God's approval, and we will find
ourselves among the great crowd of survivors who come out of the great
tribulation. (Heb. 3:16-19; Rev. 7:9, 10, 14)
All of the six points that I have mentioned above are explained to some extent
somewhere on my site in greater detail. You can always verify them by looking up
the accompanying scriptures. I strictly stick to what the Scriptures say, and for
the most part there are multiple scriptures involved. Since “all Scripture is
inspired of God and beneficial for teaching,” everything that we teach has to
harmonize and be in agreement with all the Bible. There is no room for
contradictions or inconsistencies when our teachings are solidly based on God’s
Word. (2 Tim.
3:16,17)
Beware of anyone who claims to have all the answers because of some special
anointing from God; or who
teaches that listening to him (or them) is the same as listening to God. —Ezek.
13:6-9; 14:9-11; Rom. 3:4;
2 Cor. 11:13-15.