Okay, this definitely falls into the category of “Here we go again”.
What am I talking about?
Rather than tell you, let me show you.
This excerpt is from a recent video from JW.org.
And you can see from it, probably, what do I mean by “here we go again”.
What I mean is that we have heard this song before.
We heard it a hundred years ago.
We heard it fifty years ago.
The scene is always the same.
A hundred years ago, the world was at war and millions had been killed.
It seemed like the end had come.
Because of the devastation the war caused, there were also famines in many places.
Then, in 1919, a year after the war ended, a plague broke out called the Spanish influenza,
and more died in the plague than were killed in the war.
Taking advantage of these catastrophic events were men like J.F. Rutherford who predicted
the end could come in 1925.
It seems like there is a 50-year cycle to this madness.
From 1925, we moved to 1975, and now, as we approach 2025, we have Stephen Lett telling
us that we are in “undoubtedly, the final part of the final part of the last days, shortly
before the last day of the last days.”
When the disciples asked Jesus for a sign to forewarn them of when the end would come,
what were the first words out of his mouth?
“Look out that nobody misleads you…”
(Matthew 24:5).
Jesus knew that fear and uncertainty about the future would make us easy targets for
shysters looking to take advantage of us for their own benefit.
So, the first thing he told us was to “look out that nobody misleads you.”
But how could we avoid being misled?
By listening to Jesus and not to men.
So, after giving us this warning, Jesus goes into detail.
He starts by telling us that there would be wars, food shortages, earthquakes, and according
to Luke’s account at Luke 21:10, 11, pestilences.
However, he says not to be alarmed because these things are just going to happen, but
to quote him, “the end is not yet.”
He then adds, “all these things are a beginning of pangs of distress”.
So, Jesus says that when we see an earthquake or pestilence or a food shortage or a war,
that we are not to go running around crying, “The end is near!
The end is near!”
In fact, he tells us that when we see these things, you will know that the end is not
yet, is not near; and that these are the beginning of pangs of distress.
If pestilences like the Coronavirus are the “beginning of pangs of distress”, how
can Stephen Lett claim that they signal we are in the final part of the final part of
the last days.
Either we accept what Jesus tells us or we disregard Jesus’ words in favour of those
from Stephen Lett.
Here we have Jesus Christ on the right hand and Stephen Lett on the left hand.
Which one would you rather obey?
Which one would you rather believe?
The final part of the last days is essentially, the last days of the last days.
That would mean that Stephen Lett is trying very hard to sell us on the idea that not
only are we in the last days of the last days but we are in the last days of the last days
of the last days.
Our Lord, in his wisdom, knew that such a warning would not be enough; that is the warning
he gave us already.
He knew that we are far too susceptible to panic and willing to follow any liar who claims
to have the answer, so he gave us even more to go on.
After telling us that even he didn’t know when he would be coming back, he gives us
the comparison to the days of Noah.
He says that in those days “they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away”
(Matthew 24:39 BSB).
And then, just to make sure that we don’t assume he’s talking about people who are
not his disciples; that his disciples will not be oblivious but will be able to discern
that he’s about to come, he tells us, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day
on which your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42).
You would think that would be enough, but Jesus knew better, and so two verses later
he says that he is coming when we least expect it.
“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do
not expect him.”
(Matthew 24:44 NIV) It sure sounds like the governing body is
expecting him to come.
For well over 100 years, the leaders of the organization have been looking for signs and
getting everybody all excited because of things they saw as signs.
Is this a good thing?
Is this just the result of human imperfection; well-intentioned bumbling?
Jesus said this about those who were constantly looking for signs:
“A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking a sign, but no sign will be given
it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
(Matthew 12:39) What would qualify a modern generation of
Christians as adulterous?
Well, anointed Christians are part of the bride of Christ.
So, a 10-year affair with the image of the wild beast of Revelation, which Witnesses
claim represents the United Nations, would certainly qualify as adultery.
And wouldn’t it be wicked to get people to ignore the warnings of the Christ by trying
to get them to believe in signs that don’t really mean anything?
One has to wonder about the motivation behind such a thing.
If all Jehovah’s Witnesses think that the Governing Body has some special insight into
current events; some means to predict how close the end is and provide life-saving information
when the time comes, then they are going to be blindly obedient to everything that the
Organization—that the Governing Body—tells them to do.
Is that what they are trying to accomplish?
But given the fact that they have done this many times before, and that each time they
have failed; and given the fact that right now they are telling us that the Coronavirus
is a sign that we are close to the end, when Jesus very specifically tells us the opposite
– well, does that not make them false prophets?
Are they trying to exploit the panic of the moment to their own ends?
That is after all, what a false prophet does.
The Bible tells us: “When the prophet speaks in the name of
Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak
that word.
The prophet spoke it presumptuously.
You should not fear him.’”
(Deuteronomy 18:22) What does it mean when it says, “you should
not fear him”?
It means we should not believe him.
Because if we believe him, then we will be afraid to ignore his warnings.
Fear of suffering the outcome of his predictions will cause us to follow him and obey him.
That is the ultimate purpose of the false prophet: to get people to follow and obey
him.
So, what do you think?
Is Stephen Lett, speaking on behalf of the Governing Body, acting presumptuously?
Should we fear him?
Should we fear them?
Or rather, should we fear the Christ who has never let us down and never steered this down
the wrong path, even once?
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